Garden of Good and Evil
by rentheadperson525600
Summary: Ezra never stopped teaching, and he and Aria never broke up. What happens when he decides to move to Savannah to be with her? And when one of her professors starts making passes at her? Title is a play on Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Warning: sexual assault.
1. One Door Closes, Another Opens

Chapter One  
 _One Door Closes, Another Opens_

 **Ezra**

"Well, Ezra, it certainly seems like you'd be an asset to us here," Principal White said. "May I ask, why the move from Pennsylvania to Georgia?"

I hadn't actually thought about how I would answer that question if they asked it. It was a fair question. Why _was_ I moving a thousand miles down the coast at what seemed like the last minute?

"Um, my fiancée is actually transferring here to finish school," I said, almost without thinking. "And I'm not big on the long-distance thing. So I figured, I can teach anywhere. Why not try to get a job here?"

"And it's perfect timing for me, since one of our eleventh grade English teachers is retiring at the end of this year," Mr. White continued. "There's a licensing exam taking place here in Savannah the Wednesday after Memorial Day. Pending your passing that exam, well, it looks like you won't have to worry about making a long-distance relationship work with your fiancée. I would love to have you join us here at Jenkins High School."

I felt like I was on top of the world as I filled out the new hire paperwork in the office of Jenkins High. I wasn't worried about passing the exam. Teaching was what I did. I was confident I would pass the Georgia exam just as easily as I had passed the Pennsylvania one. Which meant this entire plan was falling into place beautifully. I'd kind of put the cart before the horse, signing a lease for an apartment here and getting a few things set up in it so I wouldn't have to stay in a hotel while I was making trips back and forth before actually knowing if I had this job. I'd just acted on faith and a gut instinct based on the Skype interview I'd done with Principal White a few weeks ago.

At least part of what I'd told the principal was true. Aria was moving here for school. And I wasn't big on the long-distance thing. The fiancée part? Well, I _did_ plan on asking her to marry me this weekend, the day after her graduation. Whether or not she was ready to actually say yes was a different story. She was only eighteen, after all. It wouldn't change anything for me if she wasn't ready to make the commitment yet. I wasn't going to rush a wedding. I just wanted her to know that moving to Savannah to be with her wasn't on a whim. My near-death experience in New York had made one thing abundantly clear to me: I needed Aria in my life. She was the only thing in the world that I absolutely couldn't stand to lose.

And I almost had lost her, a few months ago. When Charlotte had kidnapped her and her friends and taken them to that godforsaken "doll house." I'd spent a heart-stopping three weeks working with Toby, Caleb, and Alison trying to find them. I was so sure I'd lost her. For those three weeks, it felt like I couldn't catch a breath. Part of me had been in that place with her. A part I got back the second I saw her run out that door and into my arms. I couldn't let anything like that happen again. Not ever.

Aria was the only one who didn't know about any of this. What had started out as me not wanting to say anything about this until I actually knew if it was going to work had turned into the world's most elaborate surprise. Not a graduation gift, since I'd gotten her one of those too, but close. I just hoped she wouldn't be too upset with me when she found out I'd been keeping something this huge from her.

I'd surprised even myself by working up the nerve to ask her parents what they thought of all this, including what they thought of me proposing. Her father…well, he hadn't punched me in the jaw. That was progress. And he'd also pointed out that, seeing as she was eighteen now, he couldn't stop me. Her mother had actually been glad she wouldn't be completely alone here in Savannah. That she would have someone here who loved and supported her no matter what and would always be there to help her if she needed it. Ella was even okay with me proposing (once I assured her that Aria wasn't pregnant) because she wanted Aria to feel secure about me being here. She wanted her to know that I was serious about this. Just like I did.

Serious as I was about this move and her, though, I wasn't going to ask her to move in with me quite yet. Not at least for a year. Part of the reason I'd decided not to tell her about this right away was because I didn't want to influence her decision to put a deposit down on the dorms. She hadn't had a very normal high school experience between the nightmare she'd been through with all of the A's and her relationship with me. I was going to make sure she got a relatively normal college experience, complete with living in the dorms and all the joys that came with that. Of course, my door would always be open if she ever needed an escape for a night or two, but I wanted her to find her own footing here in Savannah. Though how being engaged at eighteen (hopefully) factored into that, I wasn't quite sure. Okay, so I was making this up as I went along. But it made sense to me, sort of.

As I walked back into my sparsely-furnished new apartment a couple of hours later, my phone buzzed. I checked it, and it was a text from Aria. I'd told her I was in New York because a great aunt had died and I had to go to the funeral.

 _Weird having my last day in your class without you there. Love and miss you._

I smiled. God, I had it bad. I was kind of glad I _wasn't_ with family right now. I knew Wesley would give me a hard time if he could see me. He knew about all of this too, and he thought I was crazy picking up and moving a thousand miles away for Aria. And the fact that I was about to ask an eighteen-year-old to marry me? He was ready to have me committed.

 _I love and miss you too,_ I wrote back to Aria. _More than you know. I can't wait to see you when I get back tomorrow._

Speaking of Wesley, I did need to call him. I'd promised him I would tell him how the job interview went.

"Hey, man," he answered on the first ring. "So, spill. How'd it go?"

"I got the job," I told him. "Pending passing a licensing exam, which I have to come back here for in a couple weeks, I will be gainfully employed at Jenkins High School starting in mid-August."

"Congrats," he said. "So, what are you more nervous about? The exam or popping the question to an eighteen-year-old?"

"Well, teaching is what I do, so what do you think? And what's withyour hang-up about her age, Wes?"

"Dude, I'm just giving you a hard time. Someone has to. You know I think Aria's great. And I love seeing you so happy. I can't wait to give the most embarrassing toast possible at your wedding, whenever it happens."

"Oh, Christ," I chuckled. "Maybe I should just ask one of her friends' boyfriends to be my best man."

"Sure, if you want the world's most boring bachelor party," Wesley teased.

"Well, seeing as I have no desire to have a bachelor party at all, I couldn't care less. Bachelor parties are for people who are sad to see their single days pass. I'll be thrilled when mine are behind me."

"You are absolutely no fun," he chuckled. "So, seriously, do you know how you're going to pop the question yet?"

I smiled. Finally something I actually wanted to talk about.

"I think so, but I'm going to see how the conversation plays out," I told him. "I'm kind of dropping a huge bombshell on her, so I'll see how she takes that first."

"Why not ask her first? Then you won't have to worry about her being shell-shocked."

"Because it'll be too awkward if she says she's not ready for the commitment yet. What am I going to say then? 'Well, even though you just said you're not ready to marry me, I'm still moving a thousand miles away just to be with you'?"

Wesley laughed. "Yeah, you're right. That would be beyond awkward. It would be downright painful."

"Exactly. See, I'm using my brain here."

"Which is clearly why you're proposing to someone the day after her high school graduation."

I laughed. "Hey, you're still planning on coming to the graduation, right? I'm giving a pretty amazing Teacher of the Year speech. Kind of my farewell to the school."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss the first moments of you not being your girlfriend's high school teacher anymore for the world," he teased. "Yes, I'll be there."

"Okay, then I'll see you on Friday morning," I said, completely ignoring his thousandth stab at her age. It was getting a little tired.

"See you then," Wesley said, still chuckling.

 **Aria**

I walked into Ezra's apartment the night before my graduation with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had a feeling he'd want to have a conversation I wasn't ready to have yet. He'd want to talk about what was going to happen in the fall when I left to go to school in Savannah. I knew we needed to talk about it, but I didn't want it to be now. Right now, I just wanted to concentrate on getting through tomorrow. That was hard enough without thinking about the fact that we were about to have to figure out the logistics of a long-distance relationship.

"Hey," he said, enveloping me in a hug the second I walked in the door.

I giggled as I returned the embrace. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you missed me."

Ezra laughed a little and kissed my hair. "You'd be right. I did."

"Look," I sighed. "I know we have to talk about me leaving to go to college, but can it wait until after tomorrow?"

"I have no plans to talk about that tonight," he assured me. "But maybe over the weekend? I have to go check on the cabin. I thought maybe you could come with me?"

I smiled; that sounded absolutely perfect. A weekend completely alone with him was exactly what I needed.

"Yes," I said. "That sounds perfect. What time should I be here on Saturday? I'd say I'd spend the night tomorrow, but somehow I don't think that's going to fly."

"Probably not," he chuckled. "And I'm sure you'll be up late tomorrow night. Is eleven okay? Or is that too early?"

"No, it's not too early. I'll be here with bells on."

"So, if memory serves, you won the last movie night coin toss," Ezra said, leading me to the couch and pulling me down onto his lap. "But, first, I wanted to give you this. I don't think tomorrow is really going to be the setting for it. I'm still your teacher for most of the day tomorrow."

He handed me a small wrapped box that had been sitting on the coffee table. I unwrapped it to find a cardboard jewelry box, but there was a piece of paper taped on top. I looked closer to find most of my favorite Shakespeare quote (which was from _Hamlet,_ the last thing he'd taught in his class this year) written on the paper.

 _Doubt thou the stars art fire. Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar. But…_

I opened the jewelry box and found a white gold necklace with a heart-shaped charm. And engraved on the charm was the rest of the quote: _Never doubt I love._ It was a perfect graduation gift. Sweet, thoughtful, and absolutely him. He was obviously trying to assure me that we would be okay without actually talking about it.

I chuckled a little as I wiped away the couple of tears that crept out. I couldn't even think of anything to say. "Thank you" didn't quite do this justice. So I just kissed him instead. He pulled me as close as humanly possible as he returned the kiss with enough fire and passion to incinerate this whole building.

"I love you," I said quietly when he let me talk.

Ezra smiled and kissed me again. "I love you too. More than anything. Happy graduation."

I took the necklace out of the box, and he took it from me so he could help me put it on. As soon as he fastened the chain around my neck, I just rested my head on his shoulder and we sat there in comfortable silence for a while. We didn't need to say anything else. It was like our souls had been merged into one. Words weren't necessary to tell each other how we felt. I was suddenly a lot less worried about us. We would make this work. Somehow. We loved each other with a passion that put the great literary couples we both loved so much to shame. This kind of love could survive anything.

As I stood waiting to enter the auditorium the next day, I'd never felt more alone in a crowd full of people. My friends and I were all spread out, organized by our last names. Ezra was speaking and handing out diplomas today (why he'd been drafted for that, he had no idea, but he'd agreed to do it), so he wasn't here as a monitor. There was no one I knew well anywhere near me. The closest person was Hanna, but there were about fifteen people between us.

Being alone meant it was all too easy to get lost in my head. And my head was a pretty scary place to be right now. In a few short months, I was going to be leaving this town, going away from everything and everyone I knew. It would be hard enough leaving my friends and family behind, but that paled in comparison to how hard it would be to leave Ezra. He had told me he didn't want me to factor him into my decision about college. He'd assured me that he would support whatever decision I made, and we would make our relationship work no matter how far apart we were. He had even told me he actually hoped I would go somewhere far away and try to get some distance from this town where so many horrifying things had happened to me.

Especially after last night, I knew our love would survive the distance. We would beat the odds. But everything was about to change. And I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. The past two years had been full of heartbreak and unknowns. With all the uncertainty of the past two years, I wished I had something that wasn't going to change. Something I could still count on. But I had nothing. It felt like the ground was collapsing under my feet and there was nothing I could grab onto to keep from falling down with it.

I heard "Pomp and Circumstance" start and I knew it was almost time. The teachers who were here as monitors scurried around making sure everyone had their gowns zipped and no one was wearing anything inappropriate. I quickly felt to make sure my necklace was still hidden under my gown and Magna Cum Laude rope. I couldn't have anyone asking where I got it quite yet. Ezra was still my teacher for another two hours.

I was thrilled to discover that with the way seating worked out, Hanna was right in front of me. Even though we couldn't talk, just the knowledge that someone I knew and loved was close by was encouraging. I was sure I would be a mess by the end of this ceremony between Ezra's Teacher of the Year speech and Spencer's Valedictorian speech.

I zoned out for about the first twenty minutes. The principal and vice principal both gave different versions of basically the exact same speech. How we were all starting new and exciting chapters in our lives and we were going to go and do amazing things in the world. But I was paying enough attention to hear Mr. Hackett introduce Ezra. The way he introduced him was a little strange. Almost like he was sad.

Ezra walked up to the podium and looked out into the sea of faces until he found me. He flashed me one of the smiles that had made me melt since the day I'd met him and took a deep breath. Then he spoke.

"Well, you guys have spent the past two years listening to me talk, so I'm going to be brief today. Um...I came here to Rosewood High as a brand new teacher, fresh out of college, two years ago, not having a clue what I was in for. I didn't expect this place to change me the way it has. I never expected to develop the relationships I've developed with you. I never expected to feel this kind of loss standing up here and saying goodbye right now. I've been fortunate enough to teach a lot of you for both of the years I've been here, and I've watched you grow and mature into the amazing young men and women I see sitting here now. I know you'll all find different and unique ways to contribute to the world. And I'm more honored and grateful than I know how to say knowing that I had the chance to have some small influence on your lives. I hope at least something you learned in my class stays with you and that someday, it'll actually prove useful.

"Anyone who knows me at all is going to expect me to leave you with a quote today. And I don't like to disappoint. So here it is. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, 'It's a dangerous business...going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.' It is my fervent hope for all of you that you get swept somewhere new and different. That, just like the characters in Tolkien's books, you find yourselves on not just one, but lots of unexpected journeys. I hope you end up taking a wrong turn on a road trip and discover an amazing place you never would have found otherwise. I hope you spend some time abroad and learn about different cultures and try new things. But most of all, I hope that wherever you end up, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt it's where you belong. And now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the Rosewood High School Class of 2012's Valedictorian, Miss Spencer Hastings. Thank you."

Everyone applauded as Spencer walked up to the podium and gave Ezra a hug. I was clapping, but something was weird. That speech felt more like a goodbye than it should have. To anyone who didn't know Ezra as well as I did, it wouldn't have seemed strange. But I knew him better than anyone. And to me, it seemed like he wasn't just saying goodbye to this class; it felt like he was saying goodbye to the school too.

"Wow, I'm not sure how I'm going to top that," Spencer said; everyone laughed. "But I can assure you, Mr. Fitz, that you've definitely left a mark on my life, and on all of my friends' lives. Some maybe more than others."

I felt myself blush, and I tapped Hanna on the shoulder. She turned around and I could see she was laughing a little. Neither of us couldn't believe Spencer had gone there. Ezra glanced in my direction and smiled. He clearly didn't mind. Then again, I wasn't his student for very much longer.

"Um, I remember last year, Mr. Fitz was teaching _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and spent an entire lesson on two sentences in that book. I'm pretty sure I'll be old and senile in a nursing home and still remember the quote. I'll remember it because I thought, and I'm sure my friends did too, that he was reading our minds that day. That he knew how much we needed to hear those words. The quote was, 'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.'

"I'm sure most of you sitting here know what my best friends and I have been through over the past two years, and you know that it's only recently ended. I'm not going to stand up here and talk about what happened to us. Trust me, nobody wants to hear that. Instead, I'm going to tell you what I learned from it. I learned that we're braver than we ever thought we could be, and stronger. Even when something seems impossible, I learned that we can handle it. We'll get through it. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. But I also learned that we don't always have to handle everything alone. I learned that there is nothing more valuable than having friends that we can trust. I love my best friends more than anything. I know that they're there for me no matter what. I know because they've been there for me when I've been at my absolute lowest. And I know that, even though we're all going to different corners of the world, the bond we all have will never be broken. Finally, I learned that there is nothing more important in this world than love. Love from your family, love from your friends, love from a boyfriend or girlfriend. There is nothing more valuable than knowing that, no matter how many people are torturing you or trying to get you to believe the worst things about yourself, there are people out there who love you. And when you find those people, never let them go. They are the most rare and precious gift in the world.

"Right now, we're all about to graduate. And we're all about to go our separate ways. Some of us will stay here in Rosewood and start jobs or go to school locally. Some of us will get as far away from here as humanly possible. And the thought of going into the unknown is scary. But you know what? We can do it. Because deep down in all of us is the same courage and bravery that my friends and I were forced to find. But we don't have to do this alone. We all have friends and family and loved ones who love us and are here for us. And even though we're all going to meet new and amazing people, the bonds we've forged over the past four years are going to stay with us. We won't forget our time at Rosewood High or what we've learned during our time here, either in the classroom or outside of it. I'm also going to leave you with a quote. This, I think, perfectly sums up what today is all about. It's about change, and it's about remembering what we've learned. And, as Leo Buscaglia said, 'Change is the end result of all true learning.' Thank you."

Well, I'd been right. I was a mess. I reached up to squeeze Hanna's shoulder, and she turned around. She was crying too. And then everyone in the room stood up to give Spencer a standing ovation. She'd nailed that speech. It was absolutely perfect.

I was too busy concentrating on composing myself to pay attention to what the mayor said. I was sure it was more of the same "making a difference in the world" thing we'd been hearing for the past half hour. I kind of zoned out through the first few letters of the alphabet, but when they got to the D's, I forced myself to pay attention so I could cheer when Alison's name was called. She walked up and got her diploma from Ezra and gave him a hug. Emily, Spencer, and Hanna all did the same. I had a feeling it was for my benefit, so I could hug him when I got up there without drawing attention to myself.

"Aria Montgomery," Mr. Hackett said.

I took a deep breath. This was it. I walked out and shook Mr. Hackett's hand, then walked over to where Ezra was waiting with my diploma and another of his heart-melting smiles. I hugged him, and he held me tight. Almost too tight. People might notice. But it seemed like he just didn't care anymore.

"I love you," he whispered right into my ear.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

He discreetly let his lips touch my temple as he pulled back, and I walked off the stage grinning. I didn't have anyone else to cheer for, so I zoned out for the rest of the students. It felt like an eternity later, though it was probably only half an hour, when they finally let us turn our tassels.

Afterwards, my friends and I found each other. We all complimented Spencer on her amazing speech, and then we took pictures with each other and our families. After about half an hour, Alison tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Aria, I think there's someone else waiting for you," she said, smiling and looking to her right.

I looked over, and Ezra was across the courtyard, pretending to talk to other people, but clearly waiting for me. His brother Wesley was here too, standing about twenty feet away. Ezra had told me he wanted to come and be here for me, which was a little weird. We weren't that close. But we weren't exactly strangers either. And I was in a relationship with Ezra, so Wesley probably felt like he needed to come back here with Ezra and be here for this.

I turned back to my family. I wasn't sure how they would feel about this, and even though no one could stop me anymore, I didn't really want to push my luck.

"Aria, he's not your teacher anymore," my mom said. "It's okay. Go see him for a few minutes."

I looked at my dad, and while he looked like he would rather be at a root canal appointment than watch this, I could also tell he wasn't going to stop me. Then, I turned to look at the rest of my friends, who also smiled and nodded their approval.

Grinning like an idiot, I all but sprinted over to Ezra, who was waiting for me with open arms. I was a little surprised when he lifted me up about a foot and a half in the air and kissed me right there in the middle of a crowd of people. Even when he set me back down, he didn't let me go for a minute or so.

"Congratulations," he finally said, pulling back to look at me. "So, how does it feel?"

I giggled. "Weird. Especially right now."

He chuckled and kissed me again. Because that clearly wasn't what felt weird about this. I had to laugh. He was crazy. He would still have to look these people in the eye next year.

"Congrats, Aria," Wesley said, walking up to us and handing me a card.

"Thanks, Wes," I said, giving him a quick hug. "Thanks for coming."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Your first moments of not having your boyfriend and your English teacher be the same person," he laughed.

Ezra and I both chuckled awkwardly. I hoped Wesley had enjoyed the show. Ezra had certainly given a very interesting performance just now.

"Watch yourself, Wes," Ezra teased.

"So, I hear you're moving to Georgia," Wesley said, clearly looking for an escape.

"Yeah, I am," I told him.

"How do you feel about that, Ezra?"

I looked at Ezra, and I could have sworn he looked like he wanted to strangle his brother. I couldn't understand what had made him so upset about that question. Maybe because he and I hadn't actually talked about how he felt about me moving a thousand miles away and this wasn't really the setting he wanted to do it in. He pulled me close against him.

"We'll figure it out," Ezra finally said. "We'll make it work."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Wesley said, pulling out his cell phone. "So, come on, you two. Picture time. I'm pretty sure Aria's mom isn't going to get one for her scrapbook. Someone has to document this."

I expected Ezra to put up some sort of a fight about taking pictures. There wasn't really an abundance of pictures of the two of us, for obvious reasons. And the only ones we had were about seven months old, from the short time when he hadn't been my teacher and we hadn't been hiding from my parents. So we weren't used to taking pictures in the first place. And, well, Ezra was a man. But much to my surprise, he didn't even complain a little. Matter of fact, he even handed Wesley his cell phone to take a couple of pictures with. I did the same; I wanted photographic evidence of this moment too.

"I really wish I could stay over here, but I should probably get back to my family," I sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe."

Ezra gave me one more kiss. "See you tomorrow. I love you."

I smiled; I'd never get tired of hearing him say that. Even after almost two whole years, it still boggled my mind.

"I love you too," I said, then turned to Wesley and gave him another hug. "Thanks again for coming, Wes."

"You're welcome," he said. "See you soon, Aria."

I walked back over to my friends and family, who were all smiling hugely.

"Thanks for that, guys," I said.

"You sure that was all the time you wanted with him?" Emily asked me, sounding confused.

"I'll have the whole weekend with him, Em," I said. "I'm fine. Today, I'm spending with all of you."

"So, I think you might want to see these," Spencer said, holding her phone out to me.

I looked, and she'd taken a few pictures of the first moments I was with Ezra. Him lifting me in the air, both of us wearing the world's biggest grins. Our kiss while he was still holding me a foot in the air. I couldn't help the couple of tears that came to my eyes. These pictures were amazing. We both looked completely happy and in love, and it wasn't forced or posed. It was just candid, a landmark moment in our life together caught on camera.

"Thank you, Spence," I sniffled. "They're priceless. Please send them to me."

"Why else do you think I took them?" she giggled. "They're already on the way. I'm surprised you haven't gotten them yet."

"She literally pulled out her phone and pulled up the camera the second you started walking over there so she could take those," Hanna said. "Even ran about twenty feet over there so she could get the right angle for the shot."

"And you should have heard the collective 'aww' over here," Mike chuckled. "I kind of wanted to throw up a little."

"The collective 'aww' was why you wanted to throw up? Not watching your sister kiss the guy who up until about thirty minutes ago was her English teacher?" Alison asked.

"Yes, if memory serves, you punched him in the jaw when you first found out," my mom said.

I couldn't help it. I started laughing, and so did everyone else. Only I knew why Mike had really done that. He'd done it to save Ezra from needing reconstructive surgery. But he'd told me that in the utmost confidence. I wasn't going to betray that confidence now.

My phone buzzed, and I checked it. The pictures had finally come through.

I hugged Spencer. "That's seriously the best graduation present anyone could have given me. Thank you so much."

"Wow, if I'd known it would mean this much to you, I'd have taken more," she said, rubbing my back.

"So Ezra's present doesn't beat that?" Hanna asked. "What did he get you, anyway?"

I chuckled. "Okay, you're right, Han. Sorry, Spencer, his does beat yours. He got me this." I pulled the necklace out from under my gown. "It comes from my favorite Shakespeare quote, the rest of which was written on the lid of the box."

The girls looked at it, and only Spencer got the reference. She was the only one besides me who liked, or could even tolerate, Shakespeare.

"Wow," she said. "That's…intense. He must really love you."

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling hugely. "He must."

 **Ezra**

My heart was in my throat as we pulled up to the cabin. I was getting more and more nervous about dropping this bombshell on Aria, and about proposing. I was actually almost ready to chicken out and not propose today at all, but I knew it was an important part of all of this. It was the part that would show Aria just how serious I was about us. And, I reminded myself, it was okay if she wasn't ready to say yes right now. I was about 98% sure she wouldn't just flat out say no.

Aria had been dead silent on the way here. She was clearly nervous about this conversation too, but for a very different reason. She didn't want to think about us being that far apart. I did hope that she was at least a little excited about going to college even without knowing I'd be there, though. I hated the idea of her completely dreading the move to Savannah. It had, after all, been her choice.

"Hey," I said, turning to face her and touching her cheek. "You okay?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm just tired. I was up really late."

I chuckled. I knew that was at least partially a lie.

"Come on," I said, opening my car door. "I'll start the coffee."

We walked in, and neither of us said anything until we sat down on the couch with mugs of coffee in our hands fifteen minutes later. I was going to have to be the first to say something; she clearly wasn't going to start talking of her own accord. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

"So," I started. "I know we've both been putting this off because neither one of us wants to think about it. But you were right on Thursday night. We do need to talk about what's going to happen in a couple of months."

Aria took a shaky breath. "I know. But you're right. I don't want to think about it. It's hard enough thinking about leaving my family and friends. Every time I think about being a thousand miles away from you, I just want to start crying."

"Are you even a little bit excited about it? About going to college?" I asked.

She sighed. "A little. But I'm more scared. I'm scared of everything changing. I've had enough uncertainty in the past two years. Now, I just wish there was one thing in my life that wasn't going to be drastically different. I'm going to be away from my parents for the first time, away from all of my friends and everyone I know. And I know you and I will make it work, but it's going to be different when we're not in the same town."

I smiled. There was my opening. She would have one thing that was staying the same. Us. We weren't changing. Well, maybe a little. But not in the way she thought.

"I know you're scared," I started, reaching to take her hand. "But you're going to get to meet so many amazing people. You'll keep in touch with your friends from Rosewood, but you'll make new friends there too. And you'll get to have all kinds of new experiences. Having at least one professor who makes absolutely no sense, but you're still somehow expected to pass his class. Sorority hazing. Trying to keep your drink from getting spiked at frat parties. Co-ed dorm bathrooms and showers. Your neighbors playing music way too loud at one in the morning when you have a math test at eight. Your roommate, who drives you completely insane, bringing a different guy back to your room every other night."

She chuckled. "Um, if your goal is to make me feel better about going away to college, it's not really working."

"I wasn't finished. If it ever gets to be too much for you, if you need an escape…" I pulled the second key I'd had made to my apartment in Savannah out and put it in her hand.

Aria gasped and her eyes got as big as saucers. I didn't say anything. I just let it sink in. I could tell she'd already made the connection.

"You weren't in New York this week, were you?" she finally said.

"No, I wasn't," I admitted. "I had my final interview with Jenkins High School in Savannah on Wednesday afternoon. And, pending a licensing exam, which I have to go back in a couple of weeks for, I have a job teaching eleventh grade English starting in mid-August. So, as it turns out, one thing in your life isn't changing quite as much as you thought."

Aria didn't say anything else; she just kissed me. She was clearly overjoyed at this news.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked when she broke the kiss a minute later.

"Well, I figured there was no point in getting your hopes up if this wasn't going to work out. So I wanted to wait until it was certain. And by the time I was fairly sure it would end up working out, I figured I'd just surprise you this weekend instead."

"Some surprise," she laughed. "And let me guess. You didn't want to influence my decision to put a deposit down on the dorms. You still want me to have a normal college experience."

"That's also true," I told her. "Between me and the nightmares you've been through with Mona, Shana, and Charlotte, you didn't have a normal high school experience. So, while this is my decision and I don't regret it for a second, I don't want you to miss out on a normal college experience because of me. You've already paid for the dorms for the first year, and you're going to live in them and enjoy all the horrors that come with that. Then, after your freshman year, if you absolutely can't stand it and want to move in with me, or even if you just want to move in with me anyway, I will gladly have you. But I meant what I said before. If you need an escape for a night or two or a quiet place to study before a big test, my door is always open."

Aria kissed me again. "I love you so much. But you realize you're crazy, right? Picking up and moving a thousand miles away just because that's where I'm going to be?"

And she'd handed me my other opening on a silver platter. My heart jumped back into my throat and I took another deep breath, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to tell her.

"Maybe a little," I finally said. "But the past five months have made me realize something. Getting shot and almost dying changed me. Made me realize what's really important. While I was fighting for my life on that operating table, while I was under anesthesia, the only thing I kept coming back to was that I had to survive. I had to survive so I could see you one more time. Tell you I loved you one more time. And when I made it through, I thought my life was complete, that everything was as it should be. But then Charlotte kidnapped you and your friends. And for three weeks, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I couldn't breathe. You can ask Toby, Caleb, and Alison. I was a mess. I thought I'd lost you, and I couldn't cope. A piece of me was down in that place with you. And I didn't get it back until you ran out and into my arms."

"Ezra—" Aria started.

"There's a point to what I'm saying," I cut her off. "The point is, everything that's happened since New York made me realize something. It made me realize that you're the one thing in this world that I absolutely can't stand to lose. I don't know if I could survive losing you again. That's why I'm moving to Savannah. And that's why I want to ask you something. You don't have to give me an answer right now, and I'm not trying to rush you into anything, but if anything is going to show you that I've never been more serious about anything in my life than I am about moving to Savannah to be with you, it's this."

I took one last deep breath and pulled the ring box out of my pocket. My palms were sweating and my stomach was in a knot as I got down on one knee in front of the love of my life, opening the box to reveal the ring. But nervous as I was, I knew. This time, it was right. It hadn't been right with Jackie, but it was right now. Because Aria was the one I was meant to be with. I was as sure of that as I was sure the sky was blue.

"Aria Marie Montgomery," I said, sounding as nervous as I felt, "will you marry me?"

Aria wiped some tears from her eyes and was quiet for a few seconds. But not for nearly as long as I thought she'd be.

"I don't know which is more unbelievable," she said. "The fact that you're proposing to me literally one day after I've graduated from high school, or…the fact that I'm saying yes. Absolutely, completely, one hundred percent, yes."

She leaned to kiss me and I stood back up, pulling her up with me. I literally couldn't contain my joy. With our lips still locked, I picked her up as I turned around and sat back down on the couch, pulling her down into my lap.

"I love you so much," I said, half-laughing.

Aria kissed me again, giggling. "I love you too. More than I can even wrap my head around."

I realized that I was still just holding the open ring box, and I handed it to her.

"So, are you actually ready to wear that, or…?" I asked. "Like I said, I'm not trying to rush anything. I want to at least wait a couple of years. Maybe until you're old enough to actually have a glass of champagne at our wedding."

"I'm right there with you about waiting for a while, but I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't ready to wear the ring," she said, starting to take it out of the box.

"Wait, that's my job," I teased, taking the ring from her. I slid it on her finger and then kissed her hand.

"I do have to say, I'm not looking forward to telling my dad, though," Aria chuckled.

"Oh, he already knows," I told her. "So does your mom."

"You actually asked my parents?"

"Yes, I did. And I figured it was progress when your dad didn't punch me in the jaw or throw me out of the house."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're right. That is progress. What did he say?"

"He just rolled his eyes and told me that you're eighteen now and he couldn't stop me. Your mom was actually happy about all of this, once I promised her you weren't pregnant. She's glad you're not going to be completely alone in Savannah. That you're going to have someone there who loves you more than anything else in this world and will always help you when you need it."

"You really are a hopeless romantic. And it's one of the many reasons why I love you."

"Well, I told you we'd make this work, didn't I?" I teased.

She chuckled. "You did. And you've just changed how I feel about moving to Savannah completely. I'm actually excited about it now."

"I'm glad," I told her, kissing the tip of her nose. "Because you're going to love it there. I think I'm going to be in a three-way with you and your camera."

"You definitely don't have to worry about competing with my camera."

"No?" I smiled.

"Nope," Aria giggled. "Last I checked, I can't do this with my camera."

She changed her position on my lap so she was straddling my legs and kissed me again. I laughed, happier than I'd ever been in my life, as I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.


	2. New Beginnings

Chapter Two  
 _New Beginnings_

 ** _Three Months Later_**

 **Aria**

My phone buzzed with a video chat notification. Ezra had been in Savannah for the past month. School had started a couple of weeks ago for him and he'd gone down a little early to finish setting up his apartment and start on lesson plans. But he was flying back up here tomorrow so he could make the twelve-hour drive back down with me. We would get to his place in Savannah either late Thursday night or sometime on Friday afternoon. Then we would pick my parents up from the airport on Friday night and they'd be there Saturday morning for move-in day. I knew if I stayed with Ezra for longer than a night or two I wouldn't want to leave, and he was right. I did need a normal college experience.

We'd video chatted almost every day (once he'd gotten his Internet set up), which had made this separation bearable, but I'd still missed him like crazy. There was just no substitute for actually having him here. I smiled as I hit the accept button.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he replied. "So, you all packed and ready to go?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "My car's all packed already. Finding room for your bag might be a little difficult. I had no idea I had so much stuff. And this is just the stuff I absolutely need. Everything else is staying here with my parents."

"Oh, I remember how that goes. I did that last month. I didn't even realize how much junk I'd held onto over the years. Hopefully there's room for me in the car at least."

"You know I'll always make room for you. God, I can't wait to see you tomorrow. It feels like forever. I have no idea how I'm going to sleep tonight."

"Hopefully you can, because I don't plan on letting you sleep much tomorrow night," Ezra teased.

"Um, you want to say that a little louder? My parents and brother are down the hall. I don't think they heard you."

He chuckled. "Seriously, though, you've got a long day ahead of you on Thursday. You've got to keep me awake during the drive."

"You do realize I have a license too, right? There's no way in hell I'm letting you drive all twelve hours."

"We'll see about that."

"I'm pretty sure you just set the feminist movement back about fifty years there, babe," I chuckled. "No, wait, even fifty years ago, women could drive. Besides, it's _my_ car."

He laughed. "Fine, I'll let you drive for some of it. But not through Atlanta. Deal?"

"Deal. I have mentioned how glad I am that you moved down there, right?"

"So am I. Though this past month has sucked."

"It has. But in less than twenty-four hours, we'll be in the same city again."

"Thank God for that," Ezra sighed. "Look, I'm going to try to get some sleep. If I can. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, then hung up.

At five the next afternoon, I was standing in the arrivals area of the Philadelphia airport, as close as I could possibly get to the gates without a ticket. I literally wasn't going to wait an extra second that I didn't have to. My phone buzzed.

 _Just landed_ , Ezra had written. _Taking every ounce of self-control not to try to fight my way off this plane._

I chuckled, an image of him standing in a full plane with his fists clenched and bouncing in place waiting to disembark coming to my mind. It probably wasn't too far from reality.

 _Please don't,_ I wrote back. _I want to actually be able to see you, not watch you get escorted out of here by airport security._

It seemed like an eternity later, but it was probably more like fifteen minutes, when I saw Ezra walking out. I saw him before he saw me, and forgetting any sense of decorum or dignity, I ran up to him. He saw me when I was about halfway there and stopped in the middle of the walkway, waiting with open arms and the biggest smile I'd ever seen in my life.

"Aria," he breathed, picking me up and lifting me a foot in the air as he kissed me.

I was reminded of my graduation day, when I'd run up to him from across the courtyard at Rosewood High School. When, for the first time, our love wasn't forbidden and we didn't have to hide it (not that we'd done that good a job of hiding it towards the end anyway). Except that this time, the kiss lasted about three times as long. I was pretty sure everyone else in the airport wanted to throw up watching our public display of affection, but I really could have cared less. They could try spending a month away from their fiancé and see how they acted when they finally saw him again.

"God, I missed you," Ezra said when he set me down a few minutes later.

"I can tell," I giggled. "I missed you too. Like crazy."

"I don't suppose I can talk you out of spending a semester abroad? I honestly don't know if I could survive more than two days without seeing you again."

"Yes, you absolutely can. This month has been hard enough. An entire semester would be cruel and unusual punishment."

"If you get an uncontrollable urge to travel, we'll take a trip together over the summer," he said, kissing me again. "Deal?"

"Deal," I chuckled. "So, you ready to get out of here?"

"Absolutely," he said, grabbing my hand as we started to walk towards the short-term parking. "Are you hungry? I haven't eaten since like ten this morning."

"Sure, I could eat," I told him. "Okay, so you are not allowed to laugh when you see how full my car is."

"If it doesn't have a huge garbage bag full of clothes and bedding tied to the top, I have no room to talk," he said. "That's how full my car was when I moved here to go to Hollis. Front seat, too, because no one was driving with me."

I laughed. "Is that actually legal? Sounds like it might be a road hazard."

"Probably not," he chuckled. "So, do you have everything you need?"

"Um, my parents are taking me shopping for a desk and chair on Saturday once we see the dorm room and figure out what'll fit," I told him. "Besides that, yes."

"They might not have to. I actually just bought a new desk for my place. I kept the old one in case it would work for you. And I have an extra computer chair too."

"Translation: you already bought me a desk and chair because you knew I wouldn't be bringing mine with me," I called his bluff as I pushed the button to unlock my car from across the garage.

"Okay, you got me. I hope you don't mind."

"How exactly were you going to explain it when the desk was still in its box when we got to your place?" I laughed. "But no, I don't mind. It was very sweet and thoughtful."

"Yeah…I didn't think about that. But I figured you'd see through me anyway. You usually do. I was a little surprised when you didn't figure out my entire plan of moving there before I told you."

"Because I didn't think you were actually that crazy," I teased as we got to the car. "But I love you for it."

Ezra pulled me in and kissed me again, pressing me up against my car. And suddenly, I could have completely skipped grabbing dinner and just gone straight to the hotel room I'd booked for tonight. In the empty parking garage, the electricity between us practically hummed.

"I love you too," he said when he broke the kiss a minute later. "Come on, let's get out of here."

We couldn't get through dinner fast enough, and I'd already checked in to the hotel before he got here. I'd needed something to do to kill time while I was waiting for his flight to get in. As soon as we walked into the room, I went to shut the curtains. The second I turned around, Ezra's lips were on mine again.

I'd expected the first time we made love in a month to be hurried and rushed, us literally not being able to get close enough fast enough. But Ezra seemed to have other ideas. He took his time, seeming like he was trying to memorize every inch of me all over again. It reminded me a lot of our first time. He'd taken it slow and made every moment, every kiss, and every touch count then too.

"Okay, maybe I will spend a semester abroad if that's what I'll get to come home to," I teased as we were lying in bed afterwards.

Ezra chuckled and kissed my hair. "You don't have to torture us both by leaving for months on end to come home to that."

"No?" I asked, picking my head up from his chest to look at him.

He brushed a strand of hair back from my face and kissed me for the thousandth time as he rolled us back over so he was above me.

"No," he said. "You can come home to this any time you want."

I gasped a little as he eased himself back inside me. God, I'd missed this. Not the sex, though that was pretty phenomenal. No, what I'd really missed was the intimacy. The feeling of absolute rightness that was always there whenever we were together. More than that, the feeling of being whole when I was with him. It was like he'd said on the day he asked me to marry him when he was telling me how he felt when Charlotte had taken me. A piece of me had been down in Savannah with him, a piece I didn't get back until I ran into his arms a couple of hours ago at the airport.

"I love you," I said, pulling him back down for another kiss.

"I love you," he whispered right into my ear when I let him talk. His lips followed a path down my neck and collarbone and back to my mouth, and he laced his fingers through mine as he slowly started to move again.

At around two in the morning, Ezra and I were lying in bed on our sides, just looking into each other's eyes. We were completely spent, but still wide awake. Tonight had been…there were no words. We'd both needed it, badly. But now I was afraid if I fell asleep, I'd wake up to find that today had been a dream and he was still in Savannah, a thousand miles away from me. I could tell he felt the same way. But this presented a huge problem. As he'd pointed out yesterday, we both had a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

"I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to stay awake tomorrow," I said, almost afraid to break the comfortable silence.

He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose. "There's this amazing beverage called coffee. You should try it sometime."

I giggled and kissed him. "I don't think there'll be enough coffee in the world to keep me awake tomorrow. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ezra kissed me again, pulling me closer by the small of my back.

"Me either," he said. "I wouldn't trade tonight for the world. We've got plenty of time to get to Savannah before we have to pick your parents up from the airport on Friday night. We'll just stop somewhere when we get tired tomorrow. It's not a race."

"You're right," I agreed. "But you're taking the first shift driving tomorrow."

"You realize I have no intention of letting you drive at all, right?" he teased.

I giggled again. "You know, the old-fashioned romantic in you is a little annoying at times."

He laughed and rolled over onto his back, pulling me against him. I rested my head on his chest, and eventually we fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms. Where we belonged.

At about noon, we were at my parents' house, ready to hit the road. My friends and family were all there to see us off.

"Call us when you get there," Spencer said.

"I will, I promise," I told them.

"Seriously, we don't care what time it is," Hanna chimed in.

"How about if we draw the line at two in the morning?" Ezra asked, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind and kissing my temple.

I giggled and leaned further into his embrace. Ever since he'd gotten here yesterday afternoon, he'd barely been able to keep his hands off me. Not inappropriately so; it just seemed like he was trying to convince himself that we really were in the same zip code again.

"I don't know about you, but I plan on being asleep at two in the morning," I said. Especially seeing as we'd both gotten about four hours of sleep last night…er, this morning.

He chuckled and kissed my head again, tightening his arms around me.

"Well, if you guys can make it all the way to Savannah in Aria's tiny car without wanting to kill each other, you'll know your relationship is built to last," Alison said.

Everyone laughed.

"They've survived a lot worse than a twelve-hour road trip," Emily said. "I think they'll be fine."

"Yeah, if they can get through half of Rosewood thinking Aria got herself knocked up by her English teacher, I think they can get through twelve hours of fighting over the music in the car," Mike chuckled.

Everyone laughed again, me and Ezra included, but I flashed back to the day I'd told everyone standing there that Ezra and I were engaged. Mike hadn't been exaggerating. Almost everyone had thought Ezra had proposed because I was pregnant.

###############################

 _I took a deep breath as Ezra and I pulled back into the parking lot of his apartment building. This weekend had been absolutely perfect, but now we were back in the real world. With real people, who I would have to tell about what had happened this weekend. I didn't regret my decision for a second, but I still wasn't looking forward to the conversations I was about to have with my family and friends._

 _"Hey," Ezra said as he turned off the car, turning to face me. "Are you sure about this? It's okay if you're not ready. It's not going to change anything for me. I'm still moving to Savannah with you."_

 _"I'm sure," I promised him. "I love you. No amount of time is going to change that. I'm not afraid of the commitment. I'm just not looking forward to the conversations I'm about to have with my family and friends."_

 _"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked._

 _"Honestly? I do, but I think it'll probably go better if you're not in the room."_

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _"Because I know my friends, and I know my father and brother, and even my mother. Even though you already promised her I'm not pregnant, I'm sure she's still going to ask me again. And everyone else will probably think I am too. So it's better if I have a chance to explain why we're engaged before you see them. Less chance of you ending up with a broken nose or sore jaw that way."_

 _"You mean like I got from your brother a year and a half ago when we told your family about us?"_

 _I laughed. "Did I ever tell you that he only did that so my dad wouldn't?"_

 _"No, you didn't. Really?"_

 _"Yeah. This stays between you, me, and the lamp post. But his exact words to me were, 'I saw the look on Dad's face and I thought better I do it than him.' He was trying to save you from needing a nose job."_

 _"So you think he'd punch me now because…?"_

 _"Because if he thinks you knocked me up, it won't matter how much he likes you," I chuckled. "It's better if I have a chance to assure him and everyone else that you didn't."_

 _"Well, realistically, that's not a_ complete _certainty," he teased as he opened his door._

 _I laughed again as I got out of the car. "True."_

 _Ezra came around to my side of the car and kissed me._

 _"If you change your mind, I'm just a phone call away," he said. "You are well worth getting punched in the jaw over."_

 _I smiled. How had I actually gotten this lucky?_

 _"I'll be okay," I promised. "I'll see you when I'm done."_

 _"Okay. I love you."_

 _I kissed him again. "I love you too."_

 _And with that, I got into my car and headed home to have what I was sure would be a very awkward conversation with my family, and then at least one more with my friends, depending on how many of them I could get into the same place at the same time. I decided to keep count of how many times I got asked if I was pregnant. Like playing a little game with myself. Laughing to myself about it would make it easier to take._

 _When I walked in the door of my house, I was a little shocked when my mom was there, sitting on the couch next to my dad and clearly waiting for me to get home._

 _"Hey," my mom said as I walked in. "So, I take it you and Ezra talked this weekend?"_

 _I chuckled. "Yeah, we talked, all right."_

 _"And?"_

 _I walked over to sit in front of my parents, very deliberately putting both of my hands in plain view on my lap. Both of their eyes immediately drifted to my left hand; clearly, they wanted to see what my answer to his proposal was._

 _"Well, I was completely floored when Ezra told me that he's picking up his entire life and moving to Savannah for no other reason than that's where I'm going to be for the next four years. As if that wasn't enough of a surprise, after he told me that, he gave me a very sweet speech about how I'm the one thing in his life that he can't stand to lose. And then he pulled out a very expensive-looking diamond ring, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. And yes, I said yes."_

 _My mom smiled a little, and my dad rolled his eyes. She responded by giving him a pointed look. Clearly, she didn't approve of that response._

 _"Byron, as you so bluntly pointed out to Ezra when he asked us what we thought about all of this, you couldn't stop him from proposing," my mom said. "And that also means that you couldn't stop Aria from saying yes. You had to know she would. Especially after he dropped the Savannah bombshell on her."_

 _"I know," he sighed. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."_

 _"Well, you'll have a while to get used to the idea, Dad," I said. "Neither one of us wants to get married right away. He just wanted me to know that he's serious about this move, and about us. That he's thought this through and he's not doing it on a whim."_

 _I shook my head a little. My fiancé (wow, that was weird to say, even in my head) was insane. I loved him for it, but he was crazy. This had been a huge risk. What was he going to do if he didn't pass the licensing exam (I was sure he would, but there was always a chance)?_

 _"What, Aria?" my mom asked._

 _"Nothing," I replied._

 _"No, why were you shaking your head just now?"_

 _"Ezra's crazy. I love him for it, but he's crazy."_

 _"Maybe a little," my mom chuckled. "But I'm sure that in the course of your conversation he told you I'm actually happy about this. I'm glad you're not going to be completely alone in Savannah. That you'll have someone there with you who loves you almost as much as your father and I do. Someone who wants nothing more than to see you succeed and will do anything he can to help you when you need it. I'm okay with that ring on your finger because, just like him, I want you to feel secure about this."_

 _"Who are you, and what have you done with my mother?" I chuckled._

 _"Oh, no, I'm still your mother. And that's why I have to ask you the same thing I asked Ezra when he first told me about his plans. You're not pregnant, are you? That's not why he's doing this?"_

 _And there it was. The first time. I started counting to myself. One._

 _"No, Mom!" I exclaimed. "I like to think I'm a little smarter than that. And I'm pretty sure that if I'd been pregnant when he decided to do this, I'd be showing by now. Call me crazy, but I don't think him already having a job and apartment lined up in Savannah happened overnight."_

 _"And if you were, would you tell us?" my dad asked._

 _Two._

 _"Yes, Dad. If you were about to be grandparents, you would know about it."_

 _"Okay," he said. "I believe you. And as long as you don't plan on getting married right away, I'll support your decision."_

 _"No, I don't," I said. "We both want to wait at least a couple of years to get married."_

 _And at that point, Mike appeared at the bottom of the stairs._

 _"What's all this talk about getting married?" he asked. "Who's getting married?"_

 _I turned to look at my mom, and she nodded and smiled. I could tell my brother._

 _"I am," I told him. "I got engaged over the weekend."_

 _"Hilarious," he said. "Seriously, who's getting married?"_

 _"Seriously, I am," I repeated, holding up my left hand so he could see the ring. "Ezra told me that he's moving to Savannah with me. He got a job teaching high school English there starting in August and he already signed a lease for an apartment. And after he told me that, he asked me to marry him. And I said yes. So that would mean I'm engaged, last I checked."_

 _"You…oh, my God. You're wearing a ring. You're engaged," Mike said, clearly still processing what I'd just told him._

 _"Yep. Hope you don't mind Ezra as your brother-in-law."_

 _"Wait a second. Do I need to kick his ass? Did he knock you up?"_

 _Three. My mom and I both started laughing, and even my dad cracked a smile._

 _"No, I'm not pregnant," I giggled._

 _"Well, it's a fair question. Who else gets engaged the weekend after they graduate from high school?"_

 _"Someone who's just heard that the man she loves has decided to pick up his whole life and move a thousand miles away just to be with her," I replied._

 _"Okay. So, when's the big day, then? I need to know how long I have to write the most embarrassing toast on the planet," Mike teased._

 _"Oh, God," I laughed. "I'm making sure you don't get anywhere_ near _a microphone on that day. Whenever it is. We're waiting a couple of years. He just asked me now because he wanted me to know that he's not just moving there on a whim."_

 _"Oh, good. Then I'll have plenty of time to come up with all sorts of embarrassing stories for my toast."_

 _"I think I'm a little scared now," I chuckled. "So, Mom, Dad, do you guys have anything else you need to say to me about this? Or can I make a couple of phone calls? I'm not going to announce this to the newspaper or anything, but my best friends deserve to know."_

 _"I wouldn't care if you did announce it to the newspaper," my mom said. "If you and Ezra are serious about this, which I would hope you are, you shouldn't be ashamed of it. And people are going to find out anyway. But no, I don't have anything else I need to say right now. Byron?"_

 _"No, I've said all I need to say too," my dad said. "Go ahead and call your friends."_

 _As it turned out, all of my friends were already over at Spencer's barn anyway. So, I headed over there to talk to all of them. Hanna noticed the ring on my finger before I could even get a word out._

 _"Um, Aria, you go away with Ezra for the weekend and come back wearing a ring? You have some serious explaining to do," she said, and then a second later spoke again. "Oh, my God. You're not pregnant, are you?"_

 _Four._

 _"Nope, not pregnant," I said. This was getting a little tired._

 _"Are you telling us the truth?" Spencer asked._

 _Five._

 _"Yes, Spence, I am."_

 _"Okay, then please explain that rock on your finger if you're not pregnant," Alison said._

 _Six._

 _"Well, are you going to let me talk, or are you just going to keep asking me if Ezra knocked me up?" I said, a little exasperated at this point._

 _"Let Aria talk, guys," Emily said. "She clearly came over here with the intention of telling us about this. So how about we let her say her piece before we jump down her throat any more?"_

 _"Thank you, Em," I said as I went to sit down. "Okay, so Ezra took me to the cabin that he watches for a friend over the weekend. And while we were there, he told me that he got a job in Savannah teaching eleventh grade English, pending his passing a licensing exam, which he has to go back in a couple of weeks for. And he's already got an apartment there."_

 _"Um, wow. So he's just picking up his whole life and moving there to be with you?" Hanna asked._

 _"Yeah, pretty much," I told her. "So, as if that wasn't enough, when I told him he was crazy for doing this, he responded with this really sweet speech about how I'm the one thing in his life that he absolutely can't stand to lose. And then he pulled a very expensive-looking diamond ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. And I said yes."_

 _"So you're getting married before you move there?" Emily asked._

 _"No," I explained. "We're not. Not for at least a couple of years. I'm not even going to be living with him for a little while. I've already put a deposit down on the dorms for the first year, and it's non-refundable. And he didn't tell me about this sooner partially because he didn't want to influence my decision to do that. Let's face it, none of us have had a very normal high school experience. And me least of all because of my relationship with Ezra. He knows that, and he said that he wants to make sure I get a normal college experience, complete with living in the dorms. Which he painted a very unpleasant picture of, by the way."_

 _I laughed a little remembering him talking about sorority hazing and co-ed showers. And my roommate bringing a never-ending stream of guys back to the room. If all that actually ended up happening, he would probably end up having to remind me that I was paying for the dorms._

 _"Okay, back up," Spencer said. "I'm confused. So if he's not trying to rush things, which he's clearly not, why did he propose this weekend? Why not wait for a year or two until you're actually ready to start thinking about getting married?"_

 _"He wanted me to know that he's serious about this move, and about us. That he's thought this through and he's not doing it on a whim."_

 _"That kind of makes sense, I guess," Hanna said._

 _"If you're Ezra Fitz, it makes perfect sense," Alison chuckled. "Now that I know the whole story, I'm not the least bit surprised."_

 _"Seriously, I'm so glad to know what you all think of me," I told them. "And of him, for that matter. The first place you all went to was, 'Oh my God, she's pregnant'? Really?"_

 _"For the record, I didn't go there," Emily said. "I went to the 'She's way too young to be getting married no matter how much she loves him' place."_

 _"Well, since Ezra and I are both in that place too, I can live with that," I chuckled._

 _"Okay, seriously, Aria, I think your face could light up a concert hall right now," Spencer chuckled. "No matter whether or not I think this is insane, I have to be happy for you. I've never seen you this happy before. Ever. Congratulations."_

 _"Ditto," Alison said. "As long as you promise I'm not about to be an honorary aunt, I'm thrilled."_

 _Seven._

 _"How many times do I have to say this?" I said, laughing to keep from punching something. "I. Am. Not. Pregnant. At least not that I know of."_

 _Hanna laughed. "Well, in that case, congrats, Aria. And I'd better be a bridesmaid when the time comes."_

 _"Are you kidding?" I scoffed. "You're all going to be up there with me. I can't imagine getting married without you guys."_

 _When I walked into Ezra's apartment that night, he was on the phone with his brother._

 _"Hey, Wes, I've got to go," he said, smiling hugely at me. After a brief pause he spoke again. "Yeah, she just walked in. Okay, I'll tell her. I'll talk to you later. Bye."_

 _"Hey," I said, going to sit next to him on the couch. He immediately pulled me against his chest._

 _"Hey. Wes said to tell you he can't wait to congratulate you in person," Ezra said, giving me a kiss._

 _"Well, that's a better response than I got from my family and friends," I sighed. "I only had to say my piece three times, but I got asked if I was pregnant seven different times. I counted. Emily was the only one who didn't go to that place. And Ali asked me twice. Guess she didn't believe me the first three times I said no when she, Hanna, and Spencer asked me. Nothing like getting engaged at eighteen to show you what people think of you."_

 _Ezra laughed. "Try having an entire town full of people think you knocked a girl up and then told her to get lost. My mom didn't think about that when she paid Maggie to disappear."_

 _"God, that had to be humiliating. I'm so sorry."_

 _"It's in the past," he assured me. "You are my present and future. Are you sure you're still okay with this? After actually dealing with the people you care about reacting like that? I'm sure the rest of the town isn't going to be so kind."_

 _"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Let the rest of the town think I'm a slut who got herself knocked up by her English teacher if they want to. Let everyone in Savannah think that too. The people who matter know the truth and that's all I care about. Are you okay with it?"_

 _"I knew how people were going to react before I bought the ring. And I couldn't care less. The only person whose opinion I care about, for some reason I don't understand, made me the happiest man on the planet by agreeing to marry me two days ago."_

 _"What don't you understand?" I asked. "I. Love. You. You are the best person I know. And for some reason_ I _don't understand, you risked your career and reputation to be with a teenage girl you met in a bar who turned out to be your student. If it wasn't for all the horrible stuff that's happened over the past two years too, I'd be convinced I was going to wake up and find out this was all a dream."_

 _"Despite all the horrible stuff that's happened over the past two years, I'm still half-convinced I dreamed you. But if this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up," Ezra said, pulling me onto his lap and kissing me again._

###############################

"Okay, you two, remember this isn't a race," my mom said. "Make sure you stop to take breaks."

"We will," I promised.

"Seriously, don't wear yourselves out getting there," she insisted. "Especially you, Ezra. You still need energy to help Byron with the heavy lifting on Saturday."

"And maybe actually grade some of the assignments I have sitting at home at some point," Ezra said, kissing my head again. "I meant to get it out of the way on Tuesday night, but I only got about halfway done. But I think my students are going to want their essays back on Monday. They're not going to buy helping my fiancée move into her dorm room as an excuse."

My dad tried unsuccessfully to hide a grimace at the word "fiancée." I ignored him as I turned around to look at the love of my life. Ezra looked happier than I'd ever seen him. Part of that was being here with me, I knew, but it was more than just that. Savannah seemed to be agreeing with him quite well. And I knew he couldn't wait for me to be there too. Almost all he could talk about in our video chats was how much I was going to love it there.

"Well, if all goes according to plan, you'll have all day Sunday to finish," I said, winding my arms around his neck.

"When have things ever gone according to plan for us?" he laughed, putting his hands on my waist.

"Well, there was that one time…no, yeah, you're right. Never. We'll be lucky if we make it to Savannah in one piece," I giggled.

"I will make sure you make it there in one piece, no matter how many pieces I end up in in the process," Ezra said, kissing my forehead.

"Hopefully you're in one piece too. I'm kind of partial to you with all of your limbs attached."

"Are you?" he teased.

"Okay, you two, if you don't get on the road now, you're going to end up stuck in rush hour traffic in D.C.," my dad said, clearly not a fan of the turn this conversation had taken.

"Yeah, if that happens, we are having a long, leisurely dinner somewhere," Ezra said. "Until about eight at night. There is no way in hell I'm driving through that mess."

"That bad?" I asked.

"Let's just say you will see a whole new side of me if we end up in it. A side you won't like much."

"Or a side I'll end up laughing at," I teased. "Somehow I just can't picture road rage coming out of you."

"It doesn't happen often, but D.C. and Atlanta are the two places I've found that bring it out in me," he chuckled. "Anyway, we should get going."

"Okay," I sighed, turning around to say goodbye to my family and friends.

There were some tears as I hugged my friends and family goodbye. I knew we'd keep in touch, but it would be different when I didn't see them almost every day. More right now than ever before, I was glad I didn't have to do this with Ezra. It had been hard enough a month ago when we'd had to say goodbye knowing we'd see each other again soon.

"Call when you land somewhere for the night," my mom said as she hugged Ezra. "I don't care how late it is."

"We will," he promised, then turned to me. "You ready, Aria?"

I took a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay." Ezra opened my car door for me and shut it behind me after I got in before walking around and getting into the driver's seat.

"Do you have any idea how glad I am that you weren't one of the people out there I was saying goodbye to?" I asked him.

"I know how glad I am," he said, as he adjusted the seat and mirrors. "You know, I never realized exactly how short you are until right now. God, you're like a midget."

I laughed. "Or maybe you're just freakishly tall."

Ezra chuckled as leaned over and kissed me. "Ready to get out of here?"

I took another deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Let's go."

He kissed my hand, then turned the key in the ignition and drove out of my parents' driveway. And we were off to Savannah. Together, just like we were meant to be.


	3. New Home

Chapter Three  
 _New Home_

 **Ezra**

I woke up to find Aria still asleep next to me. After we'd gotten through Atlanta at about ten last night, I'd gotten a second wind and we'd decided just to drive straight through rather than stop at a hotel. It had been a long day yesterday, but I was glad we'd made the drive in one day (I'd kind of planned on it anyway). I hoped she would be up to playing tourist for the day until we had to head to the airport. This was going to be her new home, after all. I wanted her to have a chance to see it.

I checked the clock, and it was only ten. I'd let Aria sleep a little longer before I woke her up. We hadn't gotten to my apartment until about two in the morning, and we'd brought a few of her things in (like her computer and camera and a suitcase of clothes—things that would have been expensive to replace and/or made her first week at college inconvenient if her car got broken into) before heading to bed. So we hadn't gotten to sleep until probably about three or three-thirty.

It almost felt too good to be true, having her finally here with me. It was going to be torture for me to leave her at school tomorrow. I wanted more than anything to just have her stay here. But this wasn't about me. It was about her. I'd probably end up begging her to move in with me next year, but she needed a year of normalcy. A year to find her footing here in Savannah, to make friends, to get used to college life. I hoped she'd still be here frequently, though. I hadn't been lying to her before. I really didn't know if I could survive more than a few days without seeing her.

I leaned over and kissed Aria's forehead, intending to get up and take a shower. But she stirred and opened her eyes, groaning quietly. She immediately looked up at me and smiled.

"Morning," I said quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"There are worse things to wake up to," Aria said.

"I completely agree," I said, pulling her closer for a kiss. "I could definitely get used to this."

"Don't get too used to it. I'm only here for one more night. Then I'll be in the dorms."

I knew she hadn't meant that harshly. If anything, she was deflecting. Much as we'd both needed the quality time with each other, this time we were spending together now was definitely going to make tomorrow harder for both of us, and I had a feeling she was starting to realize it just like I was. But she'd just woken up. This wasn't the time for a heart-to-heart.

I chuckled. "Way to ruin the moment."

"Sorry," she sighed. "I'm trying not to get too comfortable here. Because the more comfortable I get, the harder leaving tomorrow will be."

I tried to think of something that would make her feel a little better about all of this. She was putting on a brave face, but I knew she was nervous about tomorrow. Actually, petrified would have been a better word. And almost immediately, I remembered.

"Get up for a second," I said, getting out of bed. "I want to show you something."

"Okay..." she said, sounding confused, as she got out of bed.

"Come here," I told her.

Aria obeyed, and I led her to the dresser and opened the second drawer, which was empty.

"This is your drawer," I said, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and kissing her head.

She turned her head to look at me, and her nervous and sad expression had turned into a smile. This had worked like a charm. Maybe the next time she was upset, I could just clear off a shelf in the medicine cabinet. I tightened my arms around her and kissed her.

"I want you to get comfortable here, Aria," I told her. "I moved here because I can't stand to be apart from you. I meant what I said before. After spending this past month apart, I honestly don't know if I can survive more than a few days without seeing you again. Selfishly, I don't want you to leave tomorrow. But your freshman year is a rite of passage, and you're not going to miss out on any part of that. You've missed out on enough because of me already. That doesn't mean I don't want you here, though. I do. I gave you a key for a reason. If you feel overwhelmed, or if you need a quiet place to study, or if you're feeling homesick, or even if you just feel like getting off campus one night, my door is always open. And part of me hopes you're here all the time and that I'm going to have to remind you that you're paying for your dorm room. But the other part of me, the part that wants you to enjoy your first year of college, hopes I'm going to have to remind you that I want you here. That part of me hopes you're so busy with friends and activities that you almost forget about me."

"No matter how busy I get, I'm not going to forget about you," Aria said, turning around to face me and wrapping her arms around my neck. "Call me crazy, but someone who picked up his whole life to move here with me is pretty impossible to forget."

I kissed her again. "Good. Because I'm way too selfish to actually want that."

She giggled. "I have mentioned lately that I love you, right?"

"I love you, too," I said. "So, if you're not too tired, I was kind of hoping you might be up for a little sightseeing today before we have to be at the airport. You should get to see your new home."

"Is that why you were so insistent on driving straight through yesterday?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, if I'm going anywhere today, you'd better start the coffee. I kind of had a long day yesterday. Oh and I've had a grand total of ten hours of sleep over the past two days, which is entirely your fault."

"See, my diabolical plan was to wear you out to the point where you can't help but fall asleep in your new bed tomorrow night," I teased. "So far, it's working beautifully."

"The funny thing is I actually can't argue with that logic," Aria chuckled.

"Seriously, if you're too tired, we can just stay in. I'm claiming you next weekend anyway, so we can spend the entire time sightseeing then."

"Not that I'm complaining about it, but why have you already laid claim to next weekend?"

"You seriously don't know?" I asked.

She was silent for a second, and then she just started laughing.

"Wow, your diabolical plan must be working," she said. "I can't believe I forgot it's Labor Day weekend. Do you actually remember the date of our anniversary, or is it just always going to be on Labor Day?"

I chuckled. "No, I remember it. It's September 5th. But you have to admit, it's convenient to celebrate over Labor Day weekend."

"It is," she agreed, giving me a kiss. "God, I can't believe how much has happened in two years."

"Did you think you'd end up moving this far away from home for college two years ago?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"No. I always thought I'd go somewhere local until everything happened. And I'd be willing to bet money you didn't see yourself living in Savannah two years ago. Or engaged to an eighteen-year-old."

"Definitely not. A year ago, maybe. At least, I knew a year ago that wherever you were was home for me. Before that, even. More like two months in."

"I think I've known since that night you begged me to meet you in the middle of the woods," she said. "When I had to dodge my friends at Mona's birthday party."

"What did it for me was the night before I thought I was going to have to resign, when Noel Kahn tried to blackmail me," I told her. "I was a complete mess, probably a little drunk. Okay, more than a little drunk. I was three Scotches in by the time you got there. But even seeing me like that, you still told me you loved me. I remember thinking that if you loved me even when I'd hit rock bottom, somehow I had to make everything work out. I couldn't lose you, not like that."

Aria chuckled. "Well, everything definitely worked out. Maybe not the way we saw it working out, but it worked out."

"No, it worked out even better," I said, kissing her again. "So, are we staying in for the day or going out?"

"Let's go out, at least for a little bit. You're right. I do need to see the town I'm going to be living in for at least the next four years."

 **Aria**

It was three in the morning and I was lying in Ezra's bed, wide awake. I was too nervous about tomorrow to sleep. What if my roommate turned out to be completely awful? What if my parents decided to thoroughly embarrass me just because they could? What if it was unbelievably awkward having my dad and Ezra be in the same room for more than ten minutes? Or, worse, what if my dad acted like he resented Ezra for trying to help with any of this? Dinner this evening had been more than a little awkward, and so had dropping them off at their hotel. My dad clearly hadn't been keen on me going back to Ezra's apartment alone with him. Apparently the fact that we'd spent the past forty-eight hours completely alone had slipped his mind.

Ezra rolled over and pulled me into his arms. I looked at him, thinking for sure he was awake, but he was still fast asleep. It had just been a natural reflex. I melted into a puddle and choked back tears. I didn't know how I'd survive leaving him tomorrow. These past two and a half days had been perfect, and now I was about to get thrown into a world of unknowns. And I wasn't ready for it. I sighed and rolled over onto my side, and that woke him up.

"Still awake?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, still trying to keep back tears. I still couldn't get over the fact that pulling me into his arms just now had been a natural, subconscious reflex. That even while he was asleep, he wanted me close to him.

Ezra kissed my hair and pulled me closer. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Well, I did, but what was I going to say? That it physically hurt to think about leaving him tomorrow? That wasn't going to help the situation for either of us. I knew why he'd insisted on this, and I knew he was right. Insisting on me living in the dorms wasn't for his benefit. It wasn't because he didn't want me here. It was because he'd been through this before and he knew it was going to help me make friends and feel more secure about being out on my own for the first time. Besides, moving in together was a big step, and I was taking enough other big steps in my life right now. I didn't need to add moving in with my fiancé to that. Not quite yet. But he wasn't fooling me. I knew tomorrow would be every bit as hard for him as it would be for me.

"Aria, talk to me," Ezra said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I sighed and rolled over to look at him. "What do you want me to say?"

"Whatever it is that has you wide awake at three in the morning."

"My mind just won't stop going at a million miles an hour," I said. That wasn't a lie.

"You know, tomorrow's going to be hard for me too," he said, kissing my head again. "I think I'll probably be more worried about leaving you there than your parents will be. I've lived in dorm rooms a lot more recently than they have."

I smiled. His uncanny ability to read my mind was a little scary sometimes.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working," I told him. "Hearing how this is going to suck for you too isn't making it any easier for me."

Ezra sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. But I can't lie to you. Even if I wanted to, you'd see right through me."

I chuckled, and the sob that had been lurking right beneath the surface came out. Of course.

"This isn't helping me to convince myself I'm doing the right thing," he said, kissing my forehead.

"Sorry," I said, rolling over so I was facing away from him.

It wasn't even a second later that he pulled me back, rolling me over so I had to look at him. But instead of saying anything, he just kissed me.

"I love you," he said quietly when he finally broke the kiss.

"I love you too," I said. "And you are doing the right thing. I know you are. It doesn't make it any easier though."

"No, it doesn't," he agreed. "I'm still way too selfish to actually want you to go."

I giggled. "This coming from the man who took a bullet for me. You're not fooling anyone, me least of all. You're the most selfless person I know. And it's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"And on the flip side of that coin, I'm also the man who had a relationship with his high school student because he couldn't exercise enough self-control to keep his feelings for her in check. Oh, and who moved to a different state because he couldn't stand the idea of not being in the same zip code as her. It doesn't get more selfish than that," he chuckled.

"Still, the fact that you almost died trying to protect me renders all other arguments invalid," I insisted.

I kissed him again and lifted up his shirt to trace his scar with my fingers. I heard him exhale quietly and felt him tense up a little; apparently I'd inadvertently started something I'd have to finish. Not that I'd complain. I laughed a little as I pulled him back in for another kiss.

"What?" he asked, laughing with me as he rolled us over and slowly pushed my (his) t-shirt up, leaving a trail of kisses in its wake.

"That was really all it took?" I teased, lifting my arms so he could take my shirt the rest of the way off. "I wasn't even trying."

He kissed me again as I pulled his shirt off. He immediately pulled me closer against him, and it was almost impossible to tell where my body stopped and his began.

"What can I say?" he said. "You're irresistible."

I giggled as I kissed him again. And just like that, nothing else in the world mattered but the two of us. I completely forgot everything else that was on my mind. Maybe that was his goal. If it was, it was working like a charm.

Ezra's alarm clock woke us up at eight-thirty. Unless I'd turned into an insomniac, I would definitely have no issues sleeping in my dorm room tonight. I'd gotten about four hours of sleep last night, which was about two hours less than he'd gotten. Which meant I'd gotten a grand total of maybe fourteen hours of sleep over the past three days.

Ezra shut off the alarm and then turned to look at me, his eyes full of love and concern and maybe a little bit of sadness too.

"You ready for this?" he asked me.

"No," I sighed. "But I don't have a choice. Let's do it."

He kissed me and stroked my cheek, the sadness in his eyes becoming a little more pronounced now.

"I love you," he said. "More than anything. You know that, right?"

"I know," I promised. "And I love you too."

"I feel like I'm kicking you out the door, and it's killing me worse than I thought it would."

I smiled. Something about our conversation last night, and what had followed, had changed something for me. It was still going to be terrible saying goodbye to him and going to sleep in a new (and probably uncomfortable) bed without him, but something had clicked in me during the course of that hour or so. I'd realized how incredibly lucky I was. I had made this decision on my own, thinking that I would have to leave him behind and love him from afar, because this school had everything I wanted in a photography program and would be a change of scenery. And Ezra loved me enough that he had made his own decision. Without talking to me about it, he had decided on his own to move here with me, and had asked me to marry him just to prove exactly how serious he was about the decision. He loved me enough that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I had no right to be sad about leaving him. Because I wasn't really leaving him. He was still right here. I could see him whenever I wanted. And he could see me whenever he wanted, too. The phone worked both ways.

"I don't feel like that," I told him. "I know I need to do this, and not just because it's what you wanted. I need to do this for myself."

"This is new," Ezra said. "Where did this come from?"

"I guess somewhere in the middle of everything last night, I realized something. Moving to Savannah was my choice before I knew you were going to be here. I'd resigned myself to having to say goodbye to you and figure out the logistics of a long-distance relationship. If that had happened, I'd be coming here and moving into the dorms, and this apartment wouldn't even be here."

"That is true."

"But as it turned out, I'm the luckiest girl on the planet. Because the man I love decided on _his_ own that he couldn't stand to be a thousand miles away from me and moved his entire life here with me. So I didn't have to say goodbye at all. You're not kicking me out the door, Ezra. I still have a key, unless you want that back. And I plan on using it frequently."

"Good."

"Will it make you feel better if I bring some clothes to put in that drawer when I come back next weekend?" I asked. "Will it remind you that I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere?"

"Yes, it will," he chuckled. "Though I hope you're here before next weekend, even if it's just for a couple hours one night."

"I think I can pencil you in," I teased. "By the way, there's this amazing invention called a cell phone. It works both ways. You're allowed to tell me you miss me."

"Am I allowed to tell you that I miss you already? Because I do."

I smiled. "I know. Me too. But I can guarantee this isn't actually going to be as bad as we're making it out to be. So, come on, let's start the coffee. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Okay," he said, giving me another kiss.

An hour later, we were in my car, calling my parents. They were using Ezra's car until we got mine unloaded. Then, after they took us to dinner tonight, Ezra would drop them off at their hotel room for the night and I'd pick them up tomorrow morning to take them back to the airport.

It took us fifteen minutes to get to the parking lot of my dormitory. And we quickly found that, of course, my dorm room was on the third floor. Ezra and my dad would have a rough day ahead of them, though my mom and I were of course going to make a few trips ourselves. But the guys would be doing all the heavy lifting.

Just as Ezra and my parents left me in the room to get acquainted with it or something and headed back downstairs to grab a second load of boxes, a girl my age, about my size but a little taller, with blue eyes and ginger hair, walked in, followed by people who were apparently her parents. She looked about as nervous as I was.

"Hi," she said in a thick Southern drawl. "You must be Aria. I'm Becca."

Right. My roommate's name was Rebecca Winters. I'd read that. Apparently she went by Becca. Good to know. And, thank God, she seemed to be relatively normal, if a little overly friendly. But maybe that was just nerves.

"Yeah, hi," I said, holding out my hand. She immediately shook it. "Nice to finally get to meet you."

"We're her parents," the man said. "I'm Rick, and this is Carol."

"Nice to meet you both," I said, shaking their hands. "You probably figured out I'm Aria."

They both chuckled a little, and just then my parents and Ezra walked back in.

"Oh, we're not alone anymore," my mom said.

"Nope," I chuckled. "I just met Becca and her parents."

"Hi, Becca," my mom said. "We're Aria's parents. I'm Ella, and this is Byron. And that's her fiancé, Ezra. He lives here in Savannah, so you'll probably be seeing a lot of him."

Ezra and I both chuckled a little. Well, at least now I didn't need to figure out how I was going to introduce Ezra to Becca. My mom had done that for me, rather bluntly. Not that I was ashamed of being engaged to him, but it was definitely unconventional. And I'd hoped to kind of ease her into that.

"Hi," Becca said immediately, not even seeming a little fazed as she shook each of their hands. I was liking this girl more and more by the second. "Nice to meet y'all."

Becca's parents, on the other hand, looked a little confused and even hesitant as they introduced themselves and shook hands with my parents and Ezra. They were clearly much more traditional and old-fashioned than their daughter and I could see their entire demeanor towards me change. They probably thought what everyone else did now. That I was knocked up. But whatever. I was going to be living with their daughter, not them.

"Let's let these girls get acquainted and go grab another load," my dad said, smiling a little.

"Yes, let's," Becca's dad said.

Ezra kissed my temple, then turned around to follow Becca's parents and mine out the door. There was a little bit of awkward silence as the five of them left me and Becca alone in our new home. She immediately turned to me as soon as they were gone.

"Sorry about my parents acting so weird towards your fiancé," she said. "They probably think you're pregnant or something now. They're a little old-fashioned that way."

I laughed. "Well, they can join the club of everyone else who thought that when I first told them about us being engaged. Which would be all but one of my best friends, and my parents and younger brother. And probably the rest of the small town in Pennsylvania we're from."

"I'm sure there's a story there, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said. "Maybe once we get to know each other a little better. He seems nice though."

"He is," I promised. "You'll like him. If he is around here as much as my mom seems to think he will be. I'll probably be at his place more than he'll be here."

"I don't mind either way. Anyway, you're from Pennsylvania?"

"Yeah. Where are you from?"

"Birmingham, Alabama. What brought you all the way down here?"

"It's kind of a long story," I told her. "But part of it is the photography program. What about you? What brought you to Savannah?"

"Actually, the musical theater program," Becca said.

Oh, great. A theater kid. Was she going to be playing show tunes at all hours of the day and night? I wouldn't mind a little bit of it, but a little went a long way. I might have just discovered my roommate's fatal flaw.

"Don't worry, I've got headphones for when I listen to show tunes," she said almost immediately, like she was reading my mind. "I know it's not everyone's favorite thing."

I giggled. "I don't mind a little bit every once in a while if you forget to put your headphones on. I may even watch a musical or two with you if you catch me in the right mood."

"That's more than I hoped for. I'd just hoped you weren't going to laugh in my face when I said that."

"Nah, we've all got our own interests. I tried stage managing once, but that was short-lived. I'm much better as a spectator."

Ezra walked back in then, and I saw him trying to keep back laughter at my stage managing comment. Becca clearly saw it, too, because she just smiled at me. She wasn't going to press me to tell her anything about me and Ezra that I didn't want to.

"Anyway, I should probably go help my parents and Ezra finish unloading the car," I said. "I'll be back."

"Actually, your parents got everything else already," Ezra said, setting down his load of boxes, the desk he'd bought for me on the bottom. "I just need to go grab the tool kit so your dad and I can get this and the dresser put together."

Wait, they were actually getting along? And working together? What was this?

"I am going to go see if my parents need any help, though," Becca said, heading to the door. "I'll be back, Aria."

As soon as Ezra and I were alone, he turned to me with a smile.

"Your father may actually be warming to the idea of us," he said. "Becca's dad tried to jump down your parents' throats for 'letting' you get engaged, and you should have heard your father. Guess no one's allowed to judge us except for him. Anyway, glad to see you and Becca seem to be getting along a little better than your parents are."

I chuckled. "I'd hoped to ease Becca into the whole me being engaged at eighteen thing, but apparently my mom had other ideas. What in the hell was she thinking?"

"I have no idea. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm not ashamed of you. And Becca doesn't seem to care in the slightest. Just said she was sure that there was a story and that I could tell her when and if I was ready to. And then she changed the subject as if I'd just told her something completely normal."

He chuckled and kissed me. "I like her already."

"Yeah, me too," I said. "Though she's a theater kid. So I'll probably end up with show tunes stuck in my head most of the time."

"If that's the worst thing about her, consider yourself lucky," he laughed.

At about one in the morning, I was lying in my new bed, almost asleep. Ezra's plan had worked beautifully. I was literally too tired to stay awake. But then my phone buzzed, waking me back up. I had a feeling I knew who it was, so I checked it. And sure enough, I was right. It was from Ezra.

 _I hope you're already asleep and don't get this until the morning, but I just wanted to tell you that I think I was more proud than your parents were of how well you handled today. I love you and miss you already._

I smiled and texted him back.

 _Well, I was almost asleep until my phone buzzed. I love and miss you too. I'll see you in a few days._

I got a response almost immediately. Apparently he couldn't sleep.

 _Can't wait. Text and tell me how orientation goes on Monday._

 _I thought I was the insomniac,_ I teased. _And do you actually think I'll be able to go an entire day without talking to or texting you? I'll talk to you tomorrow. Can I go to sleep now?_

 _Yes,_ he wrote back. _I'm sorry. Good night._

 _Night_ , I replied. _Love you._

 _Love you too. More than anything. Sweet dreams._

I melted into a huge puddle. I had no idea how I'd managed to get this lucky. Most people went their whole lives without finding someone who absolutely loved and adored them the way Ezra obviously loved and adored me.

There were some tears the next day as my parents hugged me goodbye at the airport, and of course they told me to call them if I needed anything. I assured them I'd be fine. Even my dad seemed glad Ezra was here now. It seemed like it was really sinking in for him that I'd moved a thousand miles away from home, and now he was as glad as my mom was that I had someone who loved and supported me here with me.

 **Ezra**

Aria walked into my apartment that Thursday night looking a little overwhelmed, but happy. Apparently her first week at college was going at least okay. We'd texted every day, but we hadn't actually talked since I'd left her at her dorm room. I'd wanted to call her, but I was also trying to give her some space to get settled in.

"Hey," she said, coming to sit next to me on the couch.

"Hi," I responded, pulling her close against me and giving her a kiss. "So, how's your first week going?"

"Okay, I guess. Remind me never to take a math class at eight in the morning again," she chuckled.

"Why in the hell would you do that? Are you a masochist?"

"I must be," she giggled. "But unfortunately, I need the class and that was the only time it was offered that worked with my other classes."

"And your photography class?" I asked. That was what I was really curious about. It was, after all, the reason she'd chosen this school.

"Um…the professor seems nice, I guess. Maybe a little...intense? I don't know if that's the right word. Definitely very devoted to his art. And our first assignment, which is due in a couple weeks, is weird. We have to sign out their cameras that have timers on them and do self-portraits. Like, frame the shot and figure out where we want to be in it and then set the timer and go pose. I get the feeling it'll take forever. And they're film cameras, so I won't know if I got good shots until I develop the pictures."

I wasn't sure how I felt about what she'd just told me. Was it just me or did she seem a little hesitant about this class? She at least seemed hesitant about the professor. But maybe it was just nerves. It was her first week, after all. And he'd just thrown the class a curveball for their very first assignment.

"Definitely very different," I agreed. "And a little advanced for a first assignment. But I'm sure you'll get creative with it. You always are with your photography."

"We'll see. Either that or it'll end up godawful. One of the girls on my hall is in the class too, and we kind of clicked. Her name's Jordan. So I guess I'm starting to make friends too."

Thank God for that. I hadn't necessarily been _worried_ about it, but I did know that after everything Aria had been through, she had trust issues (not that I blamed her in the slightest for that). I'd hoped she would be able to put some of that aside and let her guard down a little bit in this new town and new environment so she could make some new friends.

"I'm glad," I told her. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how annoying is your roommate?"

"Actually, a zero. Becca's a sweetheart. Definitely has the Southern charm thing down," Aria giggled. "Seriously, though, I think I got pretty lucky. Though she has been singing bars of show tunes for the past few days."

I chuckled. "Hopefully nothing too horrible."

"Nah. It's not that bad. She actually has a gorgeous singing voice. And it's because she's going to the open audition for the school's production of _Chicago_ next week. She's just going to try for the ensemble since she's a freshman, but still, she has to be able to show them she can sing."

"I'm sure she's great, but she's going to have to turn off the accent if she's going to be believable in that show," I said. "Last I checked, people from Chicago don't speak with a thick Southern drawl."

"Oh, she can. When she puts her mind to it, she can speak with absolutely no accent at all. I was floored."

"Well, if she gets a part, maybe you can stage manage," I teased.

Aria laughed. "No, I think my days of stage managing are over. Never again."

"If you tried it with a director who wasn't your English teacher who also happened to be your boyfriend, who was picking fights with you because he was upset that you looked at a college on the west coast, maybe you'd have better luck," I chuckled.

"Regardless, I think I'm going to be too busy with off-the-wall photography assignments to do anything else. I get the feeling the projects are only going to get more difficult."

Much as I wanted to keep talking to Aria about her first week at college, I knew she'd come over tonight to decompress. So I decided not to push her anymore. She'd tell me more as time went on, I was sure. She was probably still processing everything herself.

"So, new city, new apartment, clean slate," I said, pulling a quarter out of my pocket. "Call it."

Aria chuckled as I flipped the coin.

"Tails," she called as the quarter was mid-air.

I caught the quarter and turned it over onto my other hand. "Heads. _Chinatown_ it is."

"I'll try and stay awake," she giggled.

"I'll make the popcorn," I said, moving her off my chest so I could get up.

As the end credits rolled for the movie, I looked down and Aria was asleep. I wondered how much sleep she'd actually gotten this week. I didn't want to think about it. If she'd actually filled up her dresser drawer with clothes, I would have just let her sleep here, but she hadn't. And she definitely didn't need to be doing the walk of shame back to her dorm room during her first week at school. That wouldn't do her any favors. So I gently shook her awake.

"One day, you are going to stay awake through that whole movie," I teased as she woke up.

"Maybe," she chuckled as she sat up. "Don't hold your breath though."

"I would have let you sleep, but you don't have any clothes here yet. Pretty sure you don't want to be doing the walk of shame during your first week at school."

She laughed. "Yeah, probably not the best idea. I'm definitely going to bring some clothes when I come back for the weekend. Speaking of, do you want me here tomorrow night or Saturday morning?"

"What do you think?" I teased, giving her a kiss.

"Tomorrow night it is," she giggled as she stood up. "Seven okay? My last class gets out at five-thirty."

"Sounds good," I told her, getting up to walk her to the door. "Don't forget to bring your camera. Trust me, you'll want it."

"Okay," she said as she kissed me goodbye in the doorway. "See you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too," I said, shutting the door behind her.

I'd always hated watching her walk out the door when we lived in Rosewood, but for some reason it was worse now. I couldn't explain it. But I knew I'd have to get used to it. Because she'd be doing a lot of it this year.


	4. Exposure

Chapter Four  
 _Exposure_

 **Aria**

I woke up Saturday morning to find Ezra just looking at me while I slept. I couldn't decide if it was creepy or romantic. I decided to go with romantic. Either way, I could definitely get used to waking up next to him. Soon enough, it would be an everyday thing. But for now, I'd just enjoy it when I could.

"Morning," I said, smiling.

He didn't say anything; he just responded with a kiss. He didn't need to say anything. I could tell how happy he was that we had an entire three-day weekend to ourselves.

"Mm," I sighed. "I could get used to this."

He chuckled. "So you're going to let yourself get used to this now?"

"Yeah," I told him. "Just because I'm not here full-time doesn't mean I can't enjoy the time that I do get to spend with you."

He kissed me again. "I like this change of attitude. But tell me the truth. Was last night the most sleep you've gotten in one night since you've been in Savannah?"

I laughed a little. "You know, it's a little scary how easily you can read my mind sometimes. It is getting easier to fall asleep in my dorm room though. I'll be used to it soon enough."

"I'm glad. Okay, so I know our anniversary isn't actually until Wednesday, but since we're celebrating this weekend…"

He grabbed a big wrapped box from next to the bed. He'd obviously been up for a while, at least long enough to put that box there, because it hadn't been there when we'd gone to bed last night.

"Open it," he said. "I think you might want to use it this weekend."

"Okay…" I chuckled as I unwrapped the box.

It was just a cardboard box, probably one of the ones I'd packed to move here. I opened that to find what I knew was a very expensive digital camera and tripod. Way better than the one I currently had. I knew because I had been looking at this camera and it had been about $250 more than I'd wanted to spend. He'd spent close to $500 on all of this, at least. I was a little upset with him for spending this much on an anniversary gift when he knew I was a starving college student and couldn't reciprocate. And when he was living on a teacher's salary, no less. But I was more floored than upset.

"Ezra," I gasped, and gave him a kiss. "Oh, my God."

"It has a timer on it," he told me. "I figured just because you have to use their film cameras for the actual assignment, there was no reason you couldn't use this for practice shots. And when you actually get to use a digital camera for assignments, this is much higher quality than the one you have already."

"You seriously went out and bought this yesterday?" I asked.

"Guilty," he said. "I was actually waiting to talk to you on Thursday to try to pick up on hints for what might be helpful. And when I heard how nervous you were about your first photography assignment…"

"It's amazing. Extravagant, but amazing. I love it. Thank you." I kissed him again. "Since we're doing this now, wait here. I'll be right back."

I went and grabbed his gift out of the duffel bag full of clothes I'd brought to leave here. It wasn't quite a $400 camera, but I was still excited to give it to him. I'd never showed him the pictures Spencer had taken on graduation day. I'd decided to save them as an anniversary gift, and I'd had them professionally framed in a double frame for him.

"This isn't quite a $400 camera, but…" I handed him the wrapped pictures. "Happy anniversary."

Ezra unwrapped his gift; he gasped and his eyes got as big as saucers when he saw the pictures. I'd done good. He loved it, I could tell.

"Spencer took those," I told him. "I was going to show you that day, but I decided to save them and surprise you this weekend instead."

He just kissed me for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. Wow, I'd actually rendered him speechless. Just with a couple of pictures. I'd have to tell Spencer. She'd get a kick out of that.

"I'm glad you like them," I giggled when he let me talk.

"They're incredible," he said. "I love them. Almost as much as I love you. I honestly don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't quite do this justice."

"I love you too," I told him, kissing him again. "I remember I thought you were insane at that particular moment. I was thinking to myself that I had no idea what you thought you were doing because you would still need to look the rest of the faculty at Rosewood High in the eye the next school year."

He laughed. "And then my idiot brother almost ruined everything."

"Well, I wouldn't say almost _ruined_ it, but he definitely did almost let the cat out of the bag," I chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face. I was a little worried for his safety once I left, and I couldn't understand why in the hell you'd gotten so upset. The idea that you were keeping that huge a secret never even crossed my mind."

Ezra kissed me again, and then seemed to remember that there was expensive merchandise in the bed with us. He stopped for just a second to put all of the gifts in the box he'd wrapped my camera and tripod in and put it on the floor. As soon as he'd eliminated the potential for disaster, he pulled me back in for another kiss and laid me back down on the bed.

The entire three-day weekend was perfect. Exactly what I needed after my first week of school. There was definitely plenty of subject matter to take pictures of in historic Savannah, and I'd never seen Ezra happier than he was just walking around with me and watching me get lost in my photography. It was nice to be able to get back into the swing of taking pictures before I had to start taking them for a grade. The tripod even folded down small, so I was able to bring it along and test out the timer on the camera by taking a few pictures of the both of us. Both of our faces in those pictures could have lit up a stadium. We looked so happy and in love, as we should have been while celebrating our anniversary.

It was torture leaving Ezra's apartment on Monday night, but I had my eight o'clock math class on Tuesday morning, so I needed to get back to campus so I wouldn't have to wake up even earlier than normal. I left with the promise that I'd come back for a movie night sometime during the week, and that I'd be back for the weekend on Friday.

"Hey," Becca said when I walked back into our dorm room.

"Hey," I said, giggling a little, still on a high from the weekend.

"I'd ask how your anniversary weekend went, but your face tells the whole story," she said, chuckling a little. "You look so happy. I love it."

I smiled. "Yeah, it was great. He just took me sightseeing around Savannah and watched as I took a ton of pictures…with the $400 camera and tripod he bought me as an anniversary gift."

"Wait, did you just say what I think you just said? He spent $400 on a camera and tripod as an anniversary gift?"

"Yeah," I chuckled, pulling the camera and tripod out of my purse to show her. "Closer to $500 with the tripod. I only knew because I was actually looking at that camera but it was way more than I wanted to spend. I was a little mad at him, but more floored."

"If you don't mind, can I see some of the pictures you took? I know photography is kind of a personal thing, so it's okay if you're not comfortable sharing."

"No, it's fine," I said, turning the camera on and pulling up the photos I'd taken. "Just push that button there to scroll through them. Be warned, there's a bunch."

"Aria, these are awesome," she said as she scrolled through them. "I love how in some of them, you take something small that most people wouldn't even notice and make it the focal point of a shot. Like a flower or a tree branch. It's so creative."

"Thanks."

"Looks like you tried the timer on the camera out. This picture of you two is priceless."

I went to look at the picture she was talking about, and I had to agree. The one she was looking at was pretty priceless. It was one of my favorite pictures that I'd taken over the weekend.

"Yeah, it is," I said.

"You know, when you're ready, I would really like to meet Ezra. Like, actually meet him and get to know him a little. No pressure, though. I know that's kind of a big step after a week."

"Actually, he wants to meet you too," I told her. "Maybe we can do lunch one Saturday or something?"

"Absolutely. Whenever you guys want."

"So, you ready for your audition tomorrow?" I asked her.

"I'm nervous, but yeah, I'm ready," she said. "I'm not expecting much because I'm a freshman. I'll be lucky if I land a spot in the ensemble."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"I'd say walk in hiding your accent. Don't even let them hear that you have an accent at all. I think your chances are going to be better that way, since this is a show about people from Chicago."

"Great minds think alike," she laughed. "I was already planning on that."

During my photography class the next day, I checked out one of the cameras I was required to use for this bizarre assignment, and my new friend Jordan (who I was sharing the camera with) and I started brainstorming ideas after class. The only thing Mr. Thomas, the professor, had said was that he wanted the self-portraits to be "honest." I had no idea what that meant. But we needed eight pictures.

"How the hell am I supposed to be 'honest' in a picture?" I asked as we were eating dinner together and talking about it.

"I don't know. Um, I don't mean to pry, but I can't help noticing the rock on your finger. Are you engaged?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, I am," I told her.

"The only reason I ask is, maybe you can work that angle for some of your shots? Try making your hand and your ring the focal point if you can? That's definitely honest. People aren't usually very forthcoming about getting engaged so young."

"That's not a bad idea. Maybe do a plainer background like a brick wall and then do a couple of poses sitting down in a chair or on the ground with my hand clearly visible?" I asked.

"Yeah. Do you want a second set of eyes just to try poses out?" she asked me.

"Sure," I told her. "I actually just got a digital camera with a timer as a gift from my fiancé, so we can even take some practice shots to see how they come out. Want to come back to my dorm room with me so I can grab it real quick?"

"Yes, absolutely. Would you mind letting me try a few shots too? While you're there to supervise of course. I'm just as lost with this as you are."

"Of course," I chuckled. "The scary thing is, I get the feeling the assignments are only going to get harder. Mr. Thomas isn't playing around."

"Right?" she laughed. "Clearly this class isn't for first-time photographers."

"Nope. Come on, let's go grab my camera."

Jordan and I retrieved my new camera and tripod for practice shots with the timer, which was set for thirty seconds. So, just like we would do with the film camera, we framed the shots and figured out where we wanted to be in them. It was _much_ easier with the screen than it was going to be without it, but this was just for brainstorming and trying things out.

"I'm not sure about this, Jordan," I said after I took a few shots with the ring as the focal point. "These feel too much like engagement photos. I feel like I need to call my fiancé and have him in these shots with me."

She laughed as we looked through the pictures I'd just done.

"Yeah, you're right. It looks a little too posed. Hmm…I still like the idea of making your ring clearly visible, but maybe not so obviously the center of attention somehow?"

Jordan went a little too far back and ended up on the picture of me and Ezra that Becca had loved so much. She immediately smiled, just like I did every time I saw that picture (which was every time I turned my phone on, since I'd set it as the wallpaper).

"That him?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, and I couldn't help giggling a little. "That's Ezra."

"Damn. If only you _could_ use other people in your shots. This is the vibe we need to go for with these photos. You look so happy and proud to be with him. You're not ashamed of being engaged at eighteen years old at all. Just honestly in love with the man you're going to marry."

"You got all that from one picture?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I did," Jordan insisted. "I'm not joking. _This_. This is what Mr. Thomas was talking about. You weren't even trying and you nailed what he was looking for."

"But I don't know how to get there again without him in the shot. We weren't trying for anything. Just playing around with this camera because he'd just given it to me."

"Do you trust me enough to let me take a few pictures with this camera? Without the timer? I want to try something. See if we can capture what we're looking for without worrying about the self-portrait aspect for now."

"Sure," I said, a little confused. "What are you thinking?"

"Go sit back in the chair, and make sure your ring is visible but not obvious. Then I'll tell you what to do from there. Okay?"

I went and sat back down in the chair, doing a side profile pose with my hand just resting on my left leg, not obviously trying to show my engagement ring, but making sure she could see it.

"That's perfect," Jordan told me. "Now, don't look at me. Don't think about the camera. I want you to think of a memory with…Ezra, is it? Something that makes you smile, when you two were completely happy. Maybe when he asked you to marry him?"

Instead of the memory of Ezra proposing to me, which was an amazing one, I chose an even better one. The night he'd come back to Rosewood, before we left on the drive down here. The smile that came to my face wasn't even voluntary; it just happened because I smiled whenever I thought of that night. I heard the camera clicking from different angles around me, but just like Jordan instructed, I didn't look for it. I just let her do her thing.

"Okay, let's take a look," Jordan said after a minute or so.

I went to look at the pictures Jordan had just taken, and they were perfect. Exactly the vibe I needed to go for. Now, I understood what Mr. Thomas meant by the pictures needing to be "honest."

"So, since it's a self-portrait, obviously you need to look at the camera, but don't think about it. Just think about your fiancé while you're taking the picture. I think that should capture the mood we want," Jordan told me.

Right as Jordan said that, Mr. Thomas walked past us. Great. I wasn't really keen on being around him any more than I had to be. He'd acted a little strangely towards me today when I'd checked out the camera, and there was something that was just a little odd about him.

"Hi, ladies," he said, clearly recognizing us.

"Hey, Mr. Thomas," I said.

"Coming up with ideas for the assignment?" he asked.

"Yeah, trying to," I chuckled. "We were just using my camera to take some practice shots, try to figure out the kind of mood we want to go for."

"Mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, going to show him the shots we'd taken.

"See, what you're really looking for in a self-portrait, what's going to make it memorable, is you want to _expose_ yourself. Really let people _see you_ ," he said as he was looking at the pictures.

Okay, maybe that was a normal thing for a photographer to say, but there was just something about the way Mr. Thomas had said it. Like he was _trying_ to make it sound dirty. Definitely not how a teacher should talk to his student, regardless of the fact that this was college, not high school. I saw Jordan steal a glance at me, looking like she was trying to keep back laughter. She'd caught it too.

"Looks like you're on the right track. Just set the timer and try a few shots by yourself, then move on to the film camera," Mr. Thomas said as he handed my camera back to me. "See you ladies soon. We'll be developing this Thursday and next Tuesday."

"See you around, Mr. Thomas," Jordan said as he walked away.

As soon as Mr. Thomas was out of earshot, Jordan just started laughing, and hearing her laugh made me laugh too. I needed some sort of outlet to express my discomfort with what he'd just said to me and laughter was probably the healthiest one.

"Looks like your fiancé might have some competition," Jordan giggled.

"I know, right?" I laughed. "Expose myself? What, does he want me to strip for the self-portrait? Not that there's any competition at all, as you could probably tell from that picture you saw."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm just curious, why _did_ you get engaged so young?"

"No, it's okay. Um, Ezra actually got a job here and moved with me because he didn't want to do the long-distance thing. And he proposed because he wanted me to know that he was serious about it. We're not actually planning on getting married for a couple of years. He still wants me to have a normal college experience," I said. None of that was a lie. I just hadn't told her _everything._

"That's really sweet," she said. "So, you want to try a few more shots before we call it a night?"

How in the hell had I gotten this lucky with friends? Literally everyone who found out about me being engaged just asked me a question or two about Ezra and then changed the subject as if I'd just told them I got a puppy or something. Something completely normal.

I walked back into my dorm room much later than I'd originally planned on. The lighting was awesome and Jordan and I were kind of on a roll, so we'd just knocked out the assignment tonight. I was actually pretty pleased with some of the shots we'd gotten. Or at least I thought I would be when we developed them.

"Hey," Becca said when I walked back in. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay, spill," I said, going to sit down on my bed. "Your face could light up an auditorium right now. The audition go that well?"

"You could say that," she giggled. "Aria, they _asked_ me to try out for Roxie."

"They _asked_ you to try out for a lead role? As a freshman?"

"Yeah. I sang my piece and did a cold reading and their choreographed dance routine, and just as I was getting ready to walk off the stage, they asked me if I would mind reading for Roxie."

"Becca, that's amazing," I said. "Are they casting from this audition or are there callbacks?"

"I got a callback for tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I'm probably going to be singing the song 'Roxie' until I'm blue in the face tonight. I have to sing the whole thing tomorrow at the callback."

"Well, come on, let's hear it," I said.

"Seriously?" she asked, like she couldn't believe I was being so supportive.

"Something you'll learn about me? My friends' success is my success too. I'm very supportive. So come on, out with it. Let me hear you sing the song."

"Okay…" she said, clearly nervous. And then she belted the song out like it was nothing, knocking it out of the park.

"Seriously, that was better than Renee Zellweger," I told her. "They'd be crazy not to cast you."

"I don't know. You haven't heard my competition. It's pretty fierce," Becca laughed. "Thanks though."

Two days later, I was in the darkroom with the rest of my photography class developing my self-portrait shots. Jordan was next to me. And Mr. Thomas was walking around making sure everyone was doing okay with their developing. When he came over to me and Jordan, he put a hand on my shoulder as he leaned over me to see what I was doing. It made me uncomfortable, but whatever. Maybe he just wanted me to know where he was behind me.

"Doing okay over here, Miss Montgomery?" he asked.

"Yeah, just fine. I've developed pictures before, so I pretty much know what I'm doing."

"Good. If you need anything, just ask. I'm always available to help take care of your needs," he said.

Jordan gave me a sideways glance. So it wasn't just me. She'd thought it was weird too. Again, he'd laced what seemed like a normal comment with entendre.

"Thanks, but I'm good," I said, politely but curtly.

I walked into Ezra's apartment that night still a little weirded out by what had happened on Tuesday and then today in the darkroom. I knew I was probably overreacting, but I couldn't explain it. It was more than just what he'd said and what he'd done. He just had this way about him, and it made me uncomfortable.

"Hey," he said, sounding drained. "I've missed you this week."

"I've missed you too," I said, giving him a kiss and then sitting down next to him.

"Okay, out with it. Something's on your mind."

"You know, it's kind of scary when you do that," I sighed.

He chuckled. "Sorry. So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to make me guess?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm probably overreacting, but my photography professor, Mr. Thomas, is just making me uncomfortable. Like, he's saying things that on paper sound like something a photography professor might say to a student, but the way he says them…it's like he's trying to lace them with entendre and make them sound way dirtier than they actually are."

"Such as?" Ezra asked.

I tried to explain what Mr. Thomas had said and done, but just telling him didn't quite do it justice. It was one of those things where he would have had to be there. But I knew Ezra wasn't going to think I was completely bonkers regardless.

Ezra chuckled. "Sounds like I might have some competition."

I laughed. "That's what Jordan said. But there's no competition. _You_ aren't a creepy professor hitting on his students. I mean…wait…"

He laughed too. "So the truth comes out. That's what you really think of me."

I playfully slapped his arm. "No!"

He pulled me close so I was resting against his chest and kissed me, and suddenly all was right in the world again. It was moments like this, when he could completely calm me down after I'd wound myself up over nothing, when I really knew I'd made the right decision saying yes to him.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too," I said, leaning further into his embrace. "So tell me the truth. Am I being paranoid?"

"No, not paranoid," he said. "I do think that you've been through a lot in your life and that you don't trust people easily. And that maybe you see trouble where there isn't any because you're so used to being surrounded by it. But use your instincts and keep your eyes open. Relax a little, but don't let your guard down."

"So I'm not crazy?"

"Well, I didn't say that…" he teased.

"Gee, thanks," I giggled. "Oh, I actually brought the camera with me. I was thrilled with some of the practice shots I got and I wanted you to see. That sounds really narcissistic since they're pictures of me, but…"

"No, it doesn't," Ezra chuckled. "I'd love to see them."

"You're going to have to let me get up if you want to see them. I don't keep expensive digital cameras in the pockets of my skinny jeans."

"Well, in that case, it can wait for a few minutes," he sighed, squeezing me a little tighter. "Honestly? I haven't had the best day either."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I hate teaching _The Scarlet Letter_. I understand why it's required curriculum, but the students hate it and they're not afraid to show it. The kids were just in rare form today. It was like pulling teeth getting them to pay attention."

I chuckled. I hated that book too. I liked the story and he'd made it interesting, sort of. As much as he could. But it was still hard reading it and then coming to class prepared to discuss it. Because half of what I'd read didn't even really sink in just because of the fact that it was written in the 1600s. But maybe if he changed it up a little, it might help. Did something more interactive.

"You know I love you and I think you're an amazing teacher, right?" I asked.

"Of course," he said, sounding confused. "What's on your mind?"

"I hate that book too. I love the story, but it was torture reading it. And it was torture sitting there talking about it, because half of what I'd read the night before went over my head just because of the language. Maybe if you try making the lesson a little more interactive somehow, it would help. Like, come up with something the students can _do_ to show they understand the concept? I don't know if I'm making sense or not."

"No, I see what you're saying. Hmm…I'm going to have to do some searching for ideas."

"Let me up," I said. "I'm going to grab my camera and show you the pictures, and you're going to get your laptop. We'll Google some ideas and figure it out together. I've been a student learning that book a lot more recently than you have."

"I have mentioned that I love you, right?" Ezra asked, giving me another kiss.

"Yes," I chuckled. "I have mentioned that I love you too, right?"

"Once or twice." He kissed me again, and then helped me up to a sitting position.

I went and got my camera and got to the beginning of the good shots. Then I sat back down next to him and went through the pictures with him. I really hoped the film pictures came out this good.

"Babe, these are amazing," he said. "You nailed it. Can you send them to me? I may or may not want to put a few on my phone."

"You're allowed to have pictures of your fiancée on your phone," I giggled. "I'll email them to you when I get back to my computer. Speaking of computers, fire that laptop up. Let's see if we can get your students a little more excited about _Scarlet Letter._ "

We spent a couple of hours searching for ideas of what to do to make that book a little more interesting for students. After some deliberation, he decided to have students create their own letter, something they would actually wear around the school for a day, and come up with a crime they'd been accused of. Then they'd have to write some journal entries about the crime and the accusations and their experiences. Part of the grade itself was that the students _had_ to keep the letter on all day. If he found out they had taken the letter off for any part of the day (except P.E. classes since they couldn't really wear it with their gym uniforms), they would automatically fail. The whole purpose of this was that they needed to really understand what Hester Prynne went through. He'd even come up with his own crime and wear the letter just like them.

"What's your crime going to be?" I asked him.

"Well…yeah, I won't go there."

I laughed. "Yeah, let's not do something that could get you fired. You just got this job."

"I'll have to think about it," Ezra told me. "I've got a little time. I'm going to give them a couple of weeks to do the assignment."

I checked my cell phone and it was after ten already. I really needed to get going, but now more than ever before, I didn't want to. We'd both had a bad day and I could tell he still kind of needed the company. And, if I was being honest, so did I.

I sighed. "I really, really hate to say this, but—"

"Stay," he interrupted me. "Please. I told myself I'd never ask you to spend the night during the school week, but I really don't want to watch you walk out that door tonight."

"Okay."

He pulled me back against his chest and sighed, kissing my forehead.

"Thank you," he said, sounding like he was fighting back a sob. He must have _really_ had a rough day.

"Well, since I'm not going back to school tonight, I need a shower," I told him, trying to distract him. "You're welcome to join me if you want."

"You don't have to twist my arm," he chuckled.

As we got in the shower and our lips met under the hot water, it was like all of the frustration and negative energy that had been building up all day just washed away and there was nothing left but the two of us. I was a little shocked when, after about ten minutes, Ezra lifted me up and pressed me up against the wall of the shower. I could tell where he was going with this, and it wasn't like him. Not in a bad way; it was just different.

"You okay?" he asked, pulling back from kissing my neck to look me in the eye.

I smiled. I hadn't even said anything. He was just concerned enough about whether I was okay with this that he wanted to make sure before going any further. Just like he always was whenever he wanted to try something new or different.

"I'm good," I promised, pulling him back in for another kiss and losing myself in the moment.

Ezra's alarm woke us up at six-thirty. It was a little earlier than I would have had to get up, but I wasn't about to let him leave alone after how upset he'd been yesterday. I groaned and opened my eyes.

"I could definitely get used to waking up to you," he said, kissing me before getting out of bed.

"Soon enough," I told him; it was already becoming painfully obvious to both of us that I'd be living here as soon as the school year was over. "But I'm going to have to shorten this weekend a little and come over Saturday morning. They post the cast list for _Chicago_ today. So I'm either going to be celebrating or doing some hand-holding with Becca tonight. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad you're making friends so quickly. And that your roommate is actually turning out to be one of those friends," he said as he grabbed some clothes out of the closet.

I got out of bed and went to get dressed. I was so glad he'd cleared out this drawer and I was able to leave some clothes here. It had made it possible for me to just stay on the spur of the moment like that. We'd both needed last night. As I was getting dressed, he walked up behind me and kissed my still-bare shoulder. I sighed and leaned back against him.

"This isn't helping me get dressed," I chuckled.

He kissed my hair and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'd say I'm sorry, but…"

I giggled as I turned around to face him and kissed him. He pulled me close and I was the one who had to break the kiss, trying to catch my breath. There was something about the way he'd kissed me though. It was like…like that night he thought he would have to resign from Rosewood High because of Noel Kahn. Maybe this mood wasn't just about his students. Maybe it was something else entirely. I decided to take a stab in the dark at what it was.

"Hey," I said. "What's going on? This seems like it's about more than just your students. Did one of your coworkers find out about your time in Rosewood or something?"

The look he gave me told me everything I needed to know. Someone had found out about us. The truth about us.

"Ezra, why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I didn't want to worry you," he sighed. "But I'm not sure if this gem of an individual is going to go to the principal or not. I don't even know how he found out."

"Unfortunately, all someone would have to do would be Google your name in connection with Rosewood, Pennsylvania. The articles that would come up won't directly say we were an item while you were my teacher, but it's not that big a leap to make. And there's news footage of me running out of the dollhouse and into your arms. It's pretty obvious there that you weren't just my teacher."

"I just don't know what I'm going to do if the principal asks me about it. What am I supposed to say? 'Well, yes, I did have a relationship with one of my students when I was teaching in Rosewood, but it won't happen here because I actually was in love with her and I got engaged to her after she graduated and moved here to be with her'? I'm sure he'll buy that as an explanation."

"Who is this person?" I asked.

"Another English teacher. No one likes him, and he's on thin ice already, but he's been trying to find something to use against every single one of his colleagues. Make it seem like we're worse educators than him or something. I don't know."

"That's setting a wonderful example for his students," I scoffed. "How has he not gotten fired already?"

"I have no idea," Ezra sighed.

"Hey," I said. "You have to walk in there with your head held high. Being engaged to a former student is not a crime. Maybe it's unconventional, but it's not illegal. Don't make it seem like it is. It'll make it look like you have something to hide."

"I kind of do," he pointed out. "I'm not ashamed of you, far from it, but I also can't have our history come to light here. We're in the Bible Belt. No one's going to sweep us under the rug here."

"I know," I told him. "I know you're not ashamed. But you're right. We do still need to be a little careful. Maybe you should go to the principal yourself. Come up with a believable story and do some damage control before this other teacher gets to him."

"Maybe," he sighed again. "I don't know what I'll do. But don't worry. You're not going to get rid of me this easily. I'm not going anywhere, no matter what."

"Neither am I," I told him. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ezra said, and pulled me back in for another kiss.

I barely made it to my Psych class on time. Becca was looking at me quizzically as I sat down next to her. This was the one class she and I had together.

"Hey. Did you stay at Ezra's last night?" she asked.

"Yeah," I told her. "We both had kind of a craptastic day yesterday and he asked me if I'd spend the night. Who was I to say no?"

She giggled. "Better this morning?"

"Sort of," I sighed. "It's a long story."

"Okay. You don't have to tell me, but if you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks, Becks," I said, calling her by the nickname I'd given her earlier this week.

My phone buzzed just as the professor walked in. I checked it and Ezra was calling. This could be a disaster. I ran out into the hall and answered, almost too late.

"Hey," I answered. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I got to school this morning to find out that teacher was arrested last night. Apparently, get this, he was found in a hotel room with a student."

I laughed. "Amateur. Doesn't he know he's supposed to use his own place for that?"

Ezra laughed too. "That would be difficult seeing as he's married with a kid. Anyway, the principal still asked about you, by name. Apparently he'd Googled the articles when Mr. Yancey told him about their existence. I told him a very watered-down version of the truth, and said that you were the fiancée I'd told him about. Showed him that picture you took last weekend so he could put a face with a name. And he just said okay and asked if he could buy me a beer tonight."

"I'd say you've earned one after this," I chuckled. "Maybe even something a little stronger. You okay? Do you need me to come over tonight?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes," he chuckled. "I promise. I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Can't wait," I told him. "I've gotta go, though. I'm standing in the hallway outside my Psych class. You called just as the professor walked in."

"Why did you answer then?" Ezra asked.

"Because you're more important than a lecture I can get notes on from Becca. After this morning, I was worried," I said defensively. "I honestly was wondering how I was going to focus for my classes today. Luckily, they're the easy ones."

"After the bombshell I dropped on you this morning, I won't think less of you if you take a mental health day. Actually, you kind of dropped it on yourself. I wasn't even going to say anything."

"You're not the only one who can read minds," I teased. "I've gotten pretty good at reading yours too. And I just might take a mental health day. Wish you could take it with me."

"You have no idea how much I wish that too."

"Okay, you're probably going to be late getting to your first class if you don't hang up with me," I told him. "Text and tell me how your students react to the new assignment."

"I will," Ezra promised. "I love you."

"Love you too," I said, and hung up.

As soon as I hung up, I realized the mental health day idea was an irresponsible one and went back in. The professor didn't even say anything; he just kept talking. Becca turned to look at me and wrote something on her notebook paper.

 _Everything OK?_

I grabbed the notebook I always kept in my purse and replied.

 _Long story, but yes. He's okay, and that's what matters._

 _Good,_ she wrote back. _Here if you need me._

I smiled. I'd made a couple of pretty amazing friends here in Savannah after just two weeks. Becca and Jordan were both almost too good to be true.

At five, Becca and I were waiting with about seventy other people for the cast list for _Chicago_ to be posted. She was sweating bullets and I had a hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the director walked out and posted the list, then walked away without a word.

"I can't look," Becca said. "I'm too nervous."

"Do you want me to go look for you?" I asked.

"I feel like such a wimp for saying yes," she chuckled.

"Stay right here," I told her. "I'll be back."

I went up and looked at the list. And right there, as clear as day, was Becca's name listed next to the role of Roxie Hart. She'd gotten the part. I snapped a picture with my cell phone to prove it to her and went back to the bench she was sitting on.

"You might want to take a look at this," I told her, holding my phone out with the picture pulled up.

"Oh, my God," she said, hyperventilating a little. "Oh, my God."

"You got the part!" I said. "Congratulations!"

"I got the part!" she squealed, jumping up and giving me a hug.

"We need to celebrate," I told her. "Where are we going?"

"I assumed you'd be going to Ezra's for the weekend, especially after whatever drama made you run out the door in Psych this morning," she said, sounding confused.

"I already told him I was spending tonight with you this morning," I insisted. "My best friend in Savannah just got a lead role in _Chicago_ as a freshman. This calls for celebration."

"Um, I actually made plans with some other girls on the hall to hang out and play Cards Against Humanitytonight," she told me. "I'd just assumed you'd be with Ezra so I didn't invite you. I'm sorry. If you want to come, I'm sure they'd love to have you."

"I'm in," I told her.

My phone buzzed, and it was from Ezra.

 _Sorry for the late text. I did end up going for that beer with the principal after school. Anyway, you're a genius. The students ate up the new assignment with a spoon. Thank you for staying last night. See you in the morning._

 _Can't wait,_ I texted back. _And the good news keeps coming. Becca landed a lead in_ Chicago. _She's playing Roxie. So we're celebrating. And all that jazz._

 _I see what you did there,_ he texted back almost immediately; I could almost hear him chuckling. _Tell her I said congratulations._

 _I will. See you tomorrow. Love you._

 _Love you too._

"Ezra says to tell you congrats too," I told Becca. "Come on, let's go find out exactly how terrible we are as human beings."

She laughed. "Let's go."

Cards Against Humanity was fun, if a little humiliating. Humiliating especially because I seemed to be winning so much. But then a very revealing black card was drawn.

"How did I lose my virginity?" Jordan, who was the judge for this round, read.

Oh, Lord. I looked down at my cards, and only one of them would work. It was a blank card that someone had written "that one insanely hot professor" on. That was a little too truthful for my liking, but I had no other cards that would even remotely work. Unless I wanted to play the "Christopher Walken" card, but that was a little too weird. So I played the professor card, praying someone else would come up with a better one. But no such luck. I won. And I did everything I could to keep a straight face, but I could tell Becca wasn't fooled. I'd have some explaining to do.

"Okay, spill," Becca said when we got back to the dorm room. "What was up with your face when you won with the professor card?"

I sighed; I knew I could trust her, but I just wasn't sure what she would think of me after this. After today, though, I couldn't not tell her.

"You might want to sit down," I told her, sitting on the edge of my bed.

Becca obeyed, and I took a deep breath before speaking.

"So, I met Ezra in a bar two Labor Days ago," I began. "We clicked almost immediately, and I'm sure you really wanted to know this, but we ended up making out in the bathroom by the end of the night. The next day, he started his first teaching job out of college…as my English teacher. We tried to ignore our feelings for each other, but we couldn't. He eventually left the school to teach at a local college because of our relationship, but my dad worked at the college too, and when he found out about me and Ezra, he got Ezra fired. So he went back to Rosewood High. We broke up for a little bit, but it didn't last long. We loved each other too much. Anyway…yeah. When he found out I was moving here for school, he got a job teaching high school English here and decided to move here with me. And he proposed to me to prove to me that he was one hundred percent serious about this move. One day after I graduated from high school. We don't plan on actually getting married for a while, though."

"Sweetie, why would you be scared to tell me that?" Becca asked me. "You're obviously not ashamed of him. You love him. So why are you ashamed of your history with him?"

"Um, it's not exactly conventional. And it could have gotten him fired. It almost did today. That was why I ran out of Psych class like a bat out of hell when my phone rang. One of his colleagues found out about us and told the principal to Google some articles about me and my friends in Rosewood. Which is a story for another time. But anyway, the principal did Google the articles, and while they don't _say_ that Ezra and I were an item while he was my teacher, it's not that big a leap to make. And if the teacher who blew the whistle hadn't been arrested after being found in a hotel room with a student last night, Ezra might very well not have a job now. Instead, now the principal knows a very watered-down version of the truth and seems to be okay with it."

"Well, I'm glad he still has a job. Seriously, though, Aria. No one gets to pick who they fall in love with. So you fell in love with your teacher. And he fell in love with his student. What you feel is obviously very real. I don't have any business judging you, and neither does anyone else."

"Thank you for looking at me the same way you did yesterday," I sighed.

"Can I tell you something only one other person knows?" she asked me.

"Of course," I told her. "I just told you something only a handful of people know."

"Look, I'm gay. And maybe to a girl from Pennsylvania, that doesn't seem like a big deal. But I'm from Alabama. The Bible Belt. The only people who really know are you and the girl I sort of dated in secret last year from my high school. I was too scared and ashamed to tell my parents or anyone else. I was raised a Southern Baptist. I've been told my whole life that the way I feel about girls is wrong. But just like you didn't get to choose falling in love with your English teacher, I didn't get to choose being attracted to girls instead of guys. Part of the reason I came here to an arts college was that I thought maybe, away from my parents, I might be able to come to terms with it. But I'm too scared now to even think about trying to date. And I wouldn't know how to go about it. It's not quite the same for girls who are attracted to other girls. But anyway, I have enough shame of my own. I have no business judging you for your love life being a little unconventional."

Becca was crying by the time she was done, and I walked from my bed to sit next to her on her bed. I gave her a hug and let her cry into my shoulder for a minute. This reminded me so much of when Emily had first figured out that she was gay. How scared she was to tell her parents. But this was worse. I'd met Becca's parents for all of about ten minutes and I could tell this was worse. Maybe I'd see if Emily would be willing to talk to Becca over Skype or something. It would probably do Becca a world of good to meet someone who had been through this and had come out the other side and found love.

"Hey, it's okay," I told her. "One of my best friends from Pennsylvania is gay, and I watched her go through what you're going through now. I know it's hard."

Becca pulled back and looked at me. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," I told her. "Her name's Emily, and she's literally someone I'd trust with my life. She's one of the few people who knew about me and Ezra from the beginning. Actually, I think you would really get a lot out of a conversation with her. She can tell you how she came to terms with this. Do you mind if I ask her if she'd be willing to video chat with us sometime?"

"I'd like that," she sniffled.

"Let me text her right now," I said.

I texted Emily, and almost immediately I got a text back saying she'd love to video chat with us. She wanted to see me, and she would be happy to talk to Becca about her experience coming out. We made plans for Monday, since I couldn't not go to Ezra's this weekend. He was putting on a brave face, but I knew he probably had really needed me tonight. Matter of fact…

"Becks, if you need me, I'm happy to stay here with you, but after today—"

"Go be with Ezra," she interrupted me. "I'm not the one who came an inch away from losing their job today."

"Are you sure? I can stay with you if you need me," I told her.

"Go. I'll be fine. I promise. I'll see you Monday. Thanks for hanging with me tonight and not just splitting after class."

"I'll talk to him and see if we can do lunch or something next weekend," I said. "I really do want you guys to meet, but I don't think this is the weekend for it."

"No, it's not," she agreed. "For either of us."

"Text or call if you need me, okay?" I told her. "I'm only fifteen minutes away."

"I'll be fine," Becca insisted. "Go."

I let myself in to Ezra's, and the living room was dark already. I saw a light on in the bedroom, so I went in there. I found him reading, but looking like he'd probably been on the same page for the past several minutes. Today had been stressful for him.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"Aria," he said, putting his book down. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought you were with Becca tonight."

"I was," I told him, going to sit next to him on his side of the bed. "But I told you before, I've gotten pretty good at reading your mind. Even in a text. I had a feeling you needed me tonight."

"You know, it's kind of scary when you do that," he teased, pulling me in for a hug and kissing my hair.

"Touché," I chuckled. "Tell me the truth. You didn't get fired today, did you?"

"No, I would have told you," he told me. "But today was still rough. The principal asked some uncomfortable questions over that beer, and I'm not going to lose my job over it, but I get the feeling he's going to be watching me under a magnifying glass now."

"Well, it's not like you have anything to worry about there, do you? Or is there something I need to know about?" I teased.

He chuckled. "Definitely not. I'm a one girl at a time kind of guy. So, Becca got cast as Roxie Hart? As a freshman?"

"Yeah. She was so scared to look at the cast list that I had to do it. I'm so excited for her. She sang the song 'Roxie' for me the night before her callback, and she's going to be amazing."

"That's pretty incredible. It's rare for freshmen to get cast in department-wide productions at all, let alone get cast as leads. How did you girls end up celebrating?"

I chuckled. "Um, remind me never to do this again, but we ended up playing Cards Against Humanity with half the girls on our hall. And, well, I'm not going into details, but Becca knows all about us now. She's the only one though."

He laughed. "How'd she take it?"

"She just said no one gets to pick who they fall in love with and she had no business judging us. And she told me something that made me think it might be a good idea to have her talk to Emily. So we're going to video chat with Em on Monday. I'm pretty excited. I haven't really talked to her for a few weeks."

"I think I can guess what that is," Ezra said. "And if I'm right, Emily will be able to help her a lot. I remember she had a hard time with it for a while too."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Poor girl grew up in the Southern Baptist church and has been raised to believe it's wrong. Add that to everything else she's already going through and she's not having an easy time of it. But you don't know any of that."

"Know any of what?" he teased.

"Exactly," I chuckled. "So, I'm going to change into a t-shirt and I'll come to bed, okay?"

"Okay."

I crawled into bed wearing one of Ezra's shirts a couple of minutes later, and he immediately hugged me so tight I almost couldn't breathe. I'd made the right choice coming over tonight. He was too selfless to actually tell me he needed me here, but he did.

"Hey," I said, pulling back a little so I could look at him. "It's okay. It's over. You still have a job, and that gem of a human being is behind bars now. And you are _nothing_ like him. What you and I have has always been real. Maybe unconventional, but real. We've always loved each other and respected each other. This piece of human filth messed up at least one student, probably more, beyond repair, for absolutely no reason other than to satisfy his lust. If he hadn't been arrested, he would have gotten what he wanted from her and then tossed her to the side like garbage. Don't you dare compare yourself to him for one second, do you hear me?"

"You know, I'm going to have to figure out how to make a helmet like Magneto had to block out Professor Xavier so you can't read my mind anymore," he chuckled. "But you're right. The thought that I was no better did cross my mind for a minute or two before I realized exactly what you just said. I wasn't kidding when I told you a couple of weeks ago that I knew two months in that you were home for me. You always have been. And it's days like today when it's clear as day that I made the right decision coming here to be with you. I love you, Aria."

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you too. So, you too tired for a movie? Because _X-Men_ actually sounds kind of perfect."

"Sure you don't want to watch _Chicago_?" Ezra teased. "I don't think you're going to be hearing enough of it over the next few months. I think I need to make absolutely sure the songs are cemented in your head for life."

"Keep that up and I'll be singing my own verse of 'Cell Block Tango,'" I giggled.


	5. Thicker Than Blood

Chapter Five  
 _Thicker Than Blood_

 **Aria**

Right before Halloween, I was in the darkroom with Jordan (she, Becca, and I had become almost inseparable) and we were developing the pictures for our latest assignment, which was still life pictures. Much easier than self-portraits. Why Mr. Thomas had chosen that as a first assignment, I had no idea. Mr. Thomas had continued to make comments that sounded innocent enough on paper but that he managed to make sound completely inappropriate. And as far as I could tell, they were only directed at me. He wasn't like that with any other students. Jordan even had pointed that out to me.

"Doing okay over here, ladies?" Mr. Thomas asked as he walked past.

It could have been an accident, but I could have sworn that he purposely brushed up against me. Like, more than he had to. This darkroom was kind of close quarters, but not so much so that he had to brush his entire body up against me as he walked past. Truth told, it gave me the creeps.

"Yeah, fine," I said, trying not to let my voice shake.

"Just remember, I'm always here for anything you might need," he said, again making it seem like he wasn't talking about developing pictures at all.

It killed me, but Mr. Thomas was starting to take all the fun out of photography for me. I didn't even want to take a picture I would have to develop, because that would mean I would end up back in this godforsaken darkroom with him walking past me and touching my shoulder and brushing up against me.

I was kind of excited about the next assignment though. It was portraits, of other people, and we could use digital cameras. They were supposed to look like professional-quality portraits. Jordan and I had already decided to work together, and we were both going to use my camera since it was much better than hers. She'd bought her own memory card and we'd just switch them off so we each had our own card with the pictures on it.

I did need his clarification on something though. Whether they had to be done in a studio setting or if they could be outside or in a less formal indoor setting. He'd been kind of vague in his description. I hated to have to ask him for help at all, but I also didn't want a bad grade because I'd failed to get clarification. I asked Jordan to wait for me outside the darkroom as I walked up to Mr. Thomas.

"Um, Mr. Thomas?" I asked.

"Yes, Miss Montgomery?" he said, sounding a little too pleased that I'd come to him for something.

"I just had a quick question about the portraits for the next assignment," I said. "Do they need to be in the studio here or can they be less formal? Like outdoors or in a more relaxed indoor environment?"

"As long as they look like something a professional photographer would take, they can be in any environment you like. You've seen wedding photos outdoors, correct? Or engagement photos or graduation photos? Same concept," he explained.

"Great, thanks," I sighed.

I turned around and went to leave, but he spoke again.

"Miss Montgomery," he said as I was halfway to the door.

"Yes?" I asked, turning back around to face him.

He held out what looked like a business card. "My personal cell number is on the back. If you need any other clarification, feel free to call me. I'm up late, so don't worry about the time if you're working late."

What in the hell? This was definitely crossing student-teacher boundaries. Seriously, did he not see the ring on my finger? Literally no one else had tried to make passes at me, not even other students, because they noticed the ring and steered clear. But not this creep.

"Um, thanks," I said, hesitantly taking the card with my left hand, making sure my ring was clearly visible to him. "I think I'm good, though."

I hurried out the door and grabbed Jordan, quickly walking away before he could come out and try to talk to me again.

"Aria, what is it?" Jordan asked when we were halfway back to the dorm.

"He brushed up against me in the darkroom. Like, on purpose, but he made it seem like an accident. And when I asked him for clarification on the portraits, check this out," I said, holding out the business card, showing the back where he'd written his cell number on it.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "Is that what I think it is?"

"He said it's his personal cell number," I told her. "Told me if I need other clarification, I can call. Oh, and that he stays up late, so not to worry about the hour."

"The hell?" she scoffed. "He does see that ring on your finger, right?"

"If he does, he doesn't appear fazed by it," I said, still freaking out a little.

"No matter how badly you need clarification, you better not call that number," she said. "He might, um, expect something in return for the help."

"Don't worry. I plan on losing this number," I said as I walked into my room. "See you later, Jordan."

I turned around, and Becca was getting dressed up. Like, she looked like she was ready to go out on the town for the night.

"Looking nice, Becks," I said. "What's the occasion?"

"Um, I have a date tonight," she giggled.

"Going out with Kendra again?" I asked.

Kendra was a sophomore and was playing a prisoner in the show. She had asked Becca out after about a week. Things seemed to be going really well for them, though I didn't know whether to call them an item quite yet.

"Yeah," Becca said. "How do I look?"

She actually did look really cute. Kind of a Southern/Western vibe, with jeans and a button-down shirt and girly boots. Very her. And she had her hair down, which was rare for her, and had gone minimalistic with the makeup. But I walked up and undid two more buttons on the shirt so it looked a little bit flirtier.

"Now you look perfect," I said.

"So, whose number are you going to lose?" Becca asked.

"Right, that," I sighed, sitting down on my bed. "Mr. Thomas's number. First he brushed up against me in the darkroom and made it seem like an accident, and then I asked him for a little clarification on an assignment and he slipped me his cell number and said if I need any further clarification I can call him at any time of the day or night. Freaked me out."

"After everything else you've told me about him, I don't blame you," she said. "Have you told Ezra about any of this?"

"Yeah, but he says I just need to take it in stride and maybe it's just this guy's personality. Maybe he's right, but I just feel like slipping me his number is crossing a line."

"No, you're right," Becca agreed. "It is crossing a line. Um, look, I have to go, but we'll talk more about this later, okay?"

I giggled, beyond thrilled to see Becca coming out of her shell. I'd never seen her happier or more comfortable in her own skin.

"Go," I told her. "Have fun."

 **Ezra**

Aria walked into my apartment at around nine looking like something was bothering her. Something big. This couldn't just be stress from school, regardless of the fact that mid-terms were next week.

"Hey," I said, turning off the TV. "What's up?"

"Hey. Um, Becca's out with Kendra again and texted to tell me it's going _really_ well. So I told her I'd get out of her way for the evening," she chuckled, smiling a little despite her stress. She was obviously thrilled for her friend.

"At least she gave you fair warning to get out," I teased. "My roommate freshman year used to just bring girls back to the room and not even care about the fact that I was literally five feet away."

"That must have been delightful," she sighed, sitting down next to me and leaning against my shoulder. "Becca actually told me she felt like she was kicking me out of my own place and I reminded her that I happen to have a fiancé who would be only too happy to have me spend the night."

"You are absolutely right about that," I said, giving her a kiss. "Seriously, though, what's going on? You look like you've just seen a ghost. And I know you're happy for Becca, so this is something else."

Aria sighed. "You're probably just going to tell me it's nothing."

"Aria, anything that's upsetting you this much is not nothing," I told her. "Talk to me."

"So we were in the darkroom today, and Mr. Thomas brushed up against me. He tried to make it seem like an accident, but I could tell it wasn't. That darkroom is pretty close quarters, but there was no reason for him to literally brush his entire body up against me and invade my personal space like that."

I was kind of getting to the point where I wanted to meet this professor and give him a piece of my mind. He was making photography, something that used to be a passion of Aria's, almost a chore for her. She used to have her camera practically glued to her hands, but now I could barely get her to take it with her when we went out. She'd give the excuse of not being in the mood or the lighting not being right when it was a clear and beautiful day. It broke my heart to see it.

"Did you say something to him?" I asked.

"What was I supposed to say?" she retorted. "'Excuse me, Professor, but I know that wasn't an accident. And by the way, I'm engaged and everyone but you seems to notice it'?"

"Yeah, you're right," I sighed. "Was that it?"

"No, it gets better. So I asked him for a little bit of clarification on our next assignment, which I'm actually really looking forward to because I actually get to use the camera you gave me for more than just practice. Like, literally, just one thing that he hadn't quite made clear. And as I was walking out of the darkroom, he called me back and handed me a business card with a number written on the back. Said it was his personal cell number and to call him at any time of the day or night if I needed any more help or clarification."

The thought crossed my mind that maybe I'd call this cell number, if she still had it (knowing Aria, she'd probably thrown it in the first trash can she could find), and tell this guy to back off. But, unfortunately, that might make things worse. And, while it was definitely strange and I could see why it would make Aria uncomfortable, especially given the way he'd been acting towards her, it wasn't completely unheard of for a professor to hand out his personal number. I'd had professors put their personal numbers on syllabi when I was in college. I'd never used them because it felt awkward, but it had happened.

"Look, Aria, I'm not trying to discount what you're feeling, and I'm not trying to tell you not to use your instincts with this guy. I've told you to do that from day one. But it's not entirely unheard-of for a professor to hand out their cell number to students. I've had professors put their cell number on a syllabus before," I told her.

"But if he wanted students to have this number, why _didn't_ he put it on the syllabus? The only ways to contact him on the syllabus were his email address and his office number. This didn't feel like a teacher giving a student an alternate way to contact him. It felt like he was trying to slip me his number," she told me.

…And I had nothing. If this guy had wanted all of his students to have his number, that would have been one thing. But if he had, why hadn't he put it on the syllabus?

"Just because he gave it to you, it doesn't mean you have to use it," I pointed out.

"Oh, I don't plan on it," she sighed. "I threw it away as soon as I got back to my room. And I know I'm probably getting worked up over nothing, but it just freaked me out."

"Well, regardless, it's over now," I said, pulling her against my chest and kissing her forehead. "So, no coin toss. What are we watching?"

"Something funny," she said. "I need to laugh."

"That leaves my options wide open," I teased. "You have to narrow that down a little."

"Okay, nothing crude," she chuckled. "I'm getting enough crudeness from my photography professor. I don't need any more."

"Fair enough. Hmm… _Young Frankenstein_? That's Halloween-esque."

"I don't think I've ever actually seen that whole movie."

"Okay, that seals the deal. I'll make the popcorn. Though you may choke on it laughing."

"So you're trying to kill me," Aria teased.

"Absolutely not. I know the Heimlich," I shot back.

A week later, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was strange about this whole situation. Ever since Aria had told me that her professor had tried to slip her his number, I just couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. I was in the teachers' lounge at work and Principal White walked up to me. He'd actually become a good friend over the past month. He had watched me like a hawk for a week or so until he could see that I wasn't being inappropriate with the students and then he'd actually made an effort to get to know me. Truthfully, he was quickly turning into the best friend, and one of the only real friends, I had here in Savannah.

"Ezra, you look like you're about to explode. What's going on?" he asked.

"Aria is just having some issues with one of her professors, and truthfully it's got me a little worried," I explained.

"What sort of issues?"

"I can't really explain it. She even had a hard time explaining it at first. He's basically saying things that on the surface sound like something a professor might say to a student, but clearly giving them a double meaning. And he'll make physical contact with her and try to make it seem like an accident, and yesterday he slipped her his personal number when she asked him for clarification on an assignment claiming that it was for if she needed any more help with assignments. She's trying to be distant but it seems like the more distant she gets, the more determined he is," I tried. It sort of sounded right.

"I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but does Aria wear her engagement ring regularly?" Mr. White asked me after about thirty seconds.

Well, that was an odd question. And a stark change of subject. Unless…unless it wasn't. Unless what I'd said had rung some sort of bell with him. I decided to roll with it and see where it led. If I could find something to help Aria, it was worth answering a couple of off-the-wall questions.

"She never takes it off," I replied. "Why?"

"You told me she's going to the Savannah College of Art and Design, right?"

"That's right. Mark, what is this about?" I asked.

He sighed. "I think you should talk to Adam Fisher in the science department. His daughter Alexis used to attend there, but she transferred after a year. I'll introduce you after the next staff meeting. I think he might be able to give you some…insight on what the students there can go through sometimes."

"Okay, thanks," I said, and checked my watch. My planning period was almost over. "I've got to get back. I'll talk to you later, Mark."

I walked out the door sipping my crappy office coffee, thoroughly confused. Clearly the principal knew something he wasn't saying. Why would he want me to talk to another teacher about Aria's college? Why wouldn't he just tell me what he was thinking? Why did this guy's daughter transfer after just a year at that school? And what in the hell did whether or not Aria wore her engagement ring have to do with any of this?

 **Aria**

I walked into my dorm room the Monday after mid-terms to find Becca lying on her bed sobbing. Kendra (who had officially asked Becca to be her girlfriend during the date that had landed me at Ezra's for the evening) was sitting on the side of the bed with her hand on Becca's shoulder, looking like she wasn't really sure what to say or do. Kendra turned to me and forced a smile. I went to kneel down in front of Becca so I could talk to her.

"Becca, what's wrong?" I asked.

Becca tried to talk, but just started crying again. Kendra moved her hand further down Becca's back so I could put my hand on her shoulder.

"She came out to her parents," Kendra said quietly. "You can probably tell how well it went."

My heart broke into a thousand pieces as I gave my friend a hug.

"They'll come around," I said quietly. "Eventually."

"I don't know if they will," Becca sniffled. "You should have heard them."

"They're your parents. They love you," I told her.

"I think they would have rather heard that I was a murderer than that I was dating a girl," she sobbed.

I chuckled. "Well, maybe you're not a murderer, but you play one in a show."

Becca and Kendra both laughed a little.

"They told her not to bother coming home for Thanksgiving," Kendra said. "I told my parents I'm staying here with her."

Jesus. It _was_ worse than Emily had it. I literally could not imagine a parent being so cruel to their child, no matter if they agreed with the child's lifestyle or not.

"Listen to me, Becca," I said. "You still have family. You have people who love you. You've got me and Ezra and Jordan and Kendra. And we love you for who you are. Every part of who you are. That's what family does, whether they're related to you or not."

"I'm going to be stuck here at school on Thanksgiving because of something I can't change," she sobbed.

That was when I made my decision. Ezra and I had been torn about going back to Rosewood for Thanksgiving because of the fact that it wasn't that long a break. And now I knew. We weren't going anywhere. I wasn't about to leave my best friend and her new girlfriend alone on Thanksgiving.

"Not if I can help it," I told her. "Look, I'm going to talk to Ezra tonight. We were already thinking about staying in town for the holiday. This settles it. We're doing Thanksgiving at his place. And you and Kendra are going to spend it with us."

I pulled out my phone and texted Jordan to get her to come to the room too. Becca needed all the love and support she could get. And then I texted Ezra.

 _Looks like our decision about Thanksgiving has been made for us. Becca came out to her family and they told her not to bother coming home for the holiday._

It wasn't thirty seconds later that I got a text back.

 _Jesus. On my way there. Anything I can bring to cheer her up?_

I smiled. Things like this were part of why I loved my fiancé so much. Because Becca was so important to me, she was automatically important to him too. Important enough that he was willing to drop everything he was doing to come be here with a bunch of girls in a college dorm room without even being asked.

 _No,_ I texted back. _She just needs love and support._

Jordan walked into the dorm room a few minutes later and went to give Becca a hug.

"Sweetie, I'm not going home for Thanksgiving either. I called my parents when Aria texted me. Told them one of my best friends needed me this Thanksgiving," Jordan said.

"You didn't have to do that," Becca said, calming down a little now. It seemed like she was out of tears to cry.

"Yes, I did," Jordan insisted. "Friends don't let friends spend Thanksgiving alone."

"See, I told you you still have family," I said, squeezing my friend's shoulder. "We're your family."

Ezra walked in the door about twenty minutes later. Becca had mostly stopped crying, but she was still right on the edge. He walked up and gave her a hug, then sat down next to me on the floor, leaning against my dresser. I put my head on his shoulder and he kissed my hair.

"If it makes you feel any better, Becca, my mom reacted pretty much the same way when I told her about Aria," Ezra said, pulling me into his lap.

I chuckled. "Yeah; when I met her, she literally offered to pay me to break up with him. That's how much she liked me."

"Seriously?" Jordan asked.

"Swear to God," I said. "In front of a whole museum full of people."

"Looks like that worked real well for her," Kendra said sarcastically. "How'd she take it when she found out you were engaged?"

"Basically she said I was no longer welcome at family functions if I was going to continue to ruin my life this way," Ezra chuckled. "But if this is what ruining my life looks like, I'm more than good with it. I wouldn't change a thing about my life. Because the most important part of it is right here." He squeezed me tight.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Becca said, wiping some of her tears away. "You two are so cute it's nauseating."

I chuckled and Ezra kissed my head again.

"I take it your mom's not invited to the wedding then," Jordan teased.

We all laughed, even Becca.

"Nope," I said.

"It's her loss," Becca sniffled. "She's missing out on a pretty great daughter-in-law."

I smiled, glad to see her perking up a little bit. Ezra kissed my head for what felt like the hundredth time. Clearly he agreed with her.

"And this is your parents' loss," I told her. "I've never seen you more alive or comfortable in your own skin than you have been this past month. If your parents can't handle the amazing woman I've seen you grow into, that's their problem. They don't deserve a daughter like you if they can't accept everything that makes you who you are."

"Yeah, what she said," Kendra said, kissing Becca's temple.

"Seriously, though, none of us are going to let you spend Thanksgiving alone eating crappy cafeteria food," I told her.

"Absolutely not," Ezra agreed. "Looks like my apartment is going to be overrun with college-aged girls on Thanksgiving. And like my oven will be getting a serious workout."

"There has to be a joke in there somewhere," Jordan chuckled.

We all laughed. There had to be, but we were all too stressed to come up with it. A couple of hours later, Ezra and I left to go back to his place so Kendra could spend the night with Becca. I had to give her props. She'd just started dating Becca and she'd taken this in stride and handled it better than a lot of people would have after dating someone for years.

As soon as Ezra and I got back to his apartment, I decided to break the news to my mom that we weren't going to come home for the holiday.

"Hi, honey," my mom answered on the first ring.

"Hey, Mom, you're on speaker," I told her. "I'm at Ezra's."

"Hi, Ella," Ezra chuckled.

"How are you two?" she asked.

"We're good," I told her. "Um, I just wanted to tell you that we're not going to make it home for Thanksgiving."

"Oh, no. Why not?" she asked.

"Well, Becca came out of the closet to her parents today. And they didn't take it very well. Told her not to bother going home for Thanksgiving. So a few of us decided to stay here with her. Ezra and I are cooking and hosting at his place."

"She's cooking. I'll be doing good if I remember to thaw the turkey the day before," Ezra teased.

"Hey, you're not _that_ bad," I giggled.

I kind of wished Becca could have heard that. She would have laughed and made a crack about how we already sounded like an old married couple or something. She teased us all the time about how adorable we were together.

"That's sweet," my mom said. "Wow. Poor Becca. How's she doing?"

"I think she's all cried out," I sighed. "Her girlfriend Kendra is staying with her tonight. I came over to Ezra's so they could have some space. I have to give Kendra props. They've only been going out for like a month but she handled this situation better than most people who had been dating someone for years would have."

"It's good Becca has friends like you to help her through this. I just can't believe any parent would say that to their own child, regardless of how religious they are."

"I'm right there with you," I said. "When you and Dad first found out about Ezra, you were angrier than I'd ever seen you, but the thought that you would tell me you didn't want to see me again never even crossed my mind. Parents are supposed to love their kids no matter what."

Ezra pulled me against his chest and kissed my forehead; I happily melted into his embrace. He could tell this had thrown me for a loop.

"And there's nothing you could ever do to make your father or I tell you that," my mom assured me. "Becca's parents will come around eventually, I'm sure. In the meantime, she's got some pretty amazing friends there in Savannah. Friends who were willing to forego seeing their families just to make sure she's not alone for the holiday. I've never been more proud of you."

"You're not the only one," Ezra said, kissing my forehead again.

I smiled, but it kind of made me uncomfortable. I was glad my mom and Ezra were proud of me, but it felt wrong to have people praise me for what I was doing. This wasn't about me. It was about my heartbroken friend.

"Well, Mom, I'm gonna let you go, okay?" I asked.

"Okay, sweetie," she said. "Thanks for calling. I'll tell your dad and Mike what happened."

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "Bye."

"Bye. Bye, Ezra."

"Bye," he chuckled.

As soon as I hung up, I looked at Ezra, and he was just looking at me like I was the only person in the entire world. Like he couldn't be happier or prouder to be with me. And like he was concerned about how I was taking all of this too.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked me.

"Not really," I sighed. "My heart broke into a thousand pieces when I walked into my dorm room and saw her lying on her bed and Kendra looking so helpless. I kind of knew what happened before she even said anything."

"For not wanting to talk about it, you're sure saying an awful lot," he teased.

I chuckled. "I guess I kind of need to. Mostly, it's like I said to my mom. I just can't even believe a parent could be that cruel to their child, no matter whether or not they agreed with everything their kid did. My parents did some pretty extreme things when they found out about us at first, but there was never a doubt in my mind that they were doing them because they loved me and they thought they were doing the right thing by keeping me from you. It killed me inside, but I knew they were coming from a good place. What Becca's parents are doing…it's just plain mean and cruel. I don't care what their Bible says. The one I read has a God in it that taught love, not hate. I must have missed the part where it said parents are supposed to disown their children because they don't agree with their lifestyles."

"No, you didn't miss that part," he sighed. "It's definitely not there. My mom basically did the same thing when I told her about my plans to move to Savannah to be with you, but the thing was, I still had some family that I knew loved me and supported me. I still had Wes. Becca doesn't have anyone."

"Yes, she does," I said. "She has us."

He smiled. "You're right. I saw how uncomfortable you got when your mom and I were saying how proud we are of you. But not many people would have done what you, Kendra, and Jordan did. You cared more about Becca and making sure she knew she had somewhere to be on Thanksgiving and that she had people to share it with than you cared about what you wanted. And I know how badly you wanted to see your family. I was actually online looking for plane tickets when I got your text. I was going to surprise you the next time I saw you."

"You know you spend way too much money on me, right?"

Ezra kissed me. "You're worth every cent."

 **Ezra**

On Thanksgiving morning, I woke up to find Aria still asleep next to me. She'd come over after her last class yesterday and she was spending the whole holiday weekend here. Selfishly, I was glad we hadn't gone anywhere for the holiday. I'd wanted to spend it here with her. In my original vision of it, it was just us. But I hadn't been lying to her. Seeing how quickly she gave up going home for the holiday to make sure Becca would have people to share today with had made me fall even more in love with her, if that was possible. I couldn't have been prouder.

Unfortunately, much as I wanted to let her sleep in, we both had to get up and start cooking. And her friends would be over soon since they'd insisted on helping.

I was glad Jordan would be joining us today. I wanted to talk to her. I had talked to the other teacher that Mr. White had introduced me to, and it left me with a little clarification, but not much. He'd been pretty tight lipped about what had happened with his daughter, but he had said that his daughter had something similar happen to her when she was at Aria's school. And that his daughter had also gotten engaged young. Her boyfriend had joined the Navy and had proposed before he left to go to boot camp. Was the principal onto something with the engaged student thing? Not that it would change anything at this stage in the game. If Aria suddenly stopped wearing her ring, it would bring questions. And questions meant unwanted attention. But anyway, I wanted to get someone else's opinion on whether Mr. Thomas seemed to be singling Aria out. At least maybe I could warn her. Tell her to be careful around this guy. But I didn't want to worry her if there wasn't a reason for it. She had been through so much in her life that telling her to worry about something was basically asking her to panic.

I brushed Aria's hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. And, just like always, that was enough to wake her up.

"Good morning," I said quietly. "Happy Thanksgiving."

She smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving. Wow, I got to sleep in a whole hour."

"Hey, this was your idea," I teased. "And your friends will be here soon, so you should probably change out of my t-shirt and into something a little more socially acceptable."

Aria groaned. "Remind me again why I thought this was a good idea."

"Because you're the most generous and selfless person I know and you had to make sure one of your best friends didn't spend Thanksgiving stuck in her dorm room," I said, pulling her close and kissing her.

"Yeah...that's not going to make me get out of bed," she chuckled. "And what about you? You were willing to have four girls under the age of twenty-one hang out in your apartment all day at the drop of a hat. I'm still sure there's an inappropriate joke in there somewhere."

"Probably," I agreed. "Come on, let's get up. I'll start the coffee. And turn on the parade since I'm sure our resident theater kid is going to want to watch it."

She giggled as she got up. "Yeah, we'll be lucky if we don't end up having a musical marathon while we're cooking today. Hopefully the parade will get it out of her system. But whatever it takes to take her mind off the fact that she's not in Alabama today."

Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Aria answered it and let her friends in.

"Hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of bringing this," Jordan said, holding up the bag that Aria kept her camera and tripod in. "Thought we might want a few pictures of our Friendsgiving."

"Good thinking. My one rule is the expensive camera goes nowhere near the kitchen and the food. But anyone who sees a picturesque moment is welcome to grab the camera and capture it on film…er, card," Aria said. "Come on in and grab a cup of coffee."

"Before you put us to work, since you wouldn't let us contribute to dinner, we brought breakfast," Kendra said, putting a huge Panera bag on the table. "It's a day old, but we kept it fresh."

"Aww, thanks," Aria said. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, we did," Becca said. "I had to do something. You gave me something to look forward to today. And I had a little extra money since I didn't end up buying a plane ticket."

Becca's voice caught at the end, and all three other girls caught her up in a group hug. There was the first picturesque moment. I quietly took the camera out of the bag and snapped a picture.

"Becks, I told you before, we're your family," Aria said, rubbing her friend's back. "No tears today."

"Okay, I have a favor to ask of all of you," Jordan said as the girls let go of Becca. "Can you guys try not to make me feel like a third wheel all day? Since Aiden is in North Carolina this weekend."

"No promises," Kendra teased, kissing Becca on the cheek.

Everyone chuckled.

"I hate to break this up, but if you guys want to eat before ten tonight, we need to start working," I pointed out.

"Way to ruin the moment, babe," Aria teased, walking over to give me a kiss.

"Right?" Jordan said. "Aria, your fiancé is a total killjoy."

"Ouch," I chuckled.

Much as I'd wanted to spend Thanksgiving with just Aria, it was impossible not to enjoy myself. Aria really had made some pretty incredible friends and it was nice getting to know them better. And seeing how happy Becca was to be with people who loved and accepted her for who she was, every part of who she was, made today absolutely worth it.

Aria video chatted with her family and her friends from high school, and Jordan and Kendra got calls from their families too. Wesley even called me to say happy Thanksgiving. But the most unexpected call was a call from Becca's younger sister.

My moment to speak to Jordan came when Aria and Kendra had to give Becca a pep talk encouraging her to call her sister back. She had been too nervous to answer the phone at first.

"Jordan, can I ask you something?" I said quietly as she was doing prep work in the kitchen.

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked, confused.

"I don't quite know how to say this without just saying it, so here goes," I started. "Aria's told me about your photography professor. How he acts towards her. Is he like that with all the students?"

"Actually, no," she said. "Matter of fact, he seems fixated on her. And he tries not to make it obvious but he can't seem to take his eyes off her engagement ring. And he gets this look in his eyes when he sees it. I can't explain it. It's like jealousy mixed with...anger, maybe? I don't know if she's noticed it or not but I sure do. It freaks me out."

So Mr. White was trying to tell me something when he'd asked about Aria wearing her ring. This guy had some sort of thing with engaged students. I hadn't asked Mr. Fisher if his daughter had studied photography too, but maybe I should have. Damn. I wanted so badly to say something to Aria, but she was already being careful around him. What else could she do? The semester was almost over. It wasn't like she could drop the class now.

"Ezra, what is it?" Jordan asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I sighed. "Look, I don't want to make assumptions, but just...try not to leave her alone with him if you can avoid it."

"You know something you're not saying, don't you?" she challenged.

"I don't know yet. And I'm not going to say anything until I do know for sure. To you or to Aria. I know this is asking a lot, but can we keep this conversation between us? Aria has enough going on right now. I don't want to add to her list of things to worry about."

She smiled. "Yeah, of course. I know she's got a lot on her plate. She's lucky to have you. I don't know you as well as Becca does, but I can tell how much you care about her."

I chuckled a little. If she only knew. I was sure Aria would tell her eventually. But right now maybe it was for the best that she didn't know. This way Mr. Thomas couldn't try to leverage information about Aria from her.

"She's lucky to have you too," I told Jordan. "All three of you. You've been great friends to her."

Aria walked out of the bedroom alone holding her phone in front of her. Clearly she was video chatting with someone. She walked over to stand next to me.

"I'm on with Spencer and Toby," she told me. "They wanted to say hi."

She held out her phone so we would both be visible. Spencer and Toby were both on the camera.

"Hey, Ezra," Spencer said. "I hear your apartment's been invaded by a bunch of college students today."

"Hi, Spencer. Yes it has," I chuckled.

"There has to be a joke in there somewhere," Toby said.

Aria and Jordan started laughing.

"Aria and I have been saying that since this whole plan came into existence," Jordan said. "Great minds think alike."

"Who's that in the background?" Spencer asked.

"That is my friend Jordan," Aria said, turning her phone so they could see Jordan. "Jordan, this is Spencer and Toby, two of my best friends from back home."

"Hey, guys," Jordan giggled.

Becca and Kendra emerged from the bedroom a little while later smiling. Apparently the phone call had gone well.

"Well?" Aria asked.

"Um, she had to sneak away to call me. Apparently my parents don't want anyone in the family talking to me. Didn't you know the gay is going to rub off on them if they speak to me?" Becca said, laughing a little, I guessed to keep from crying.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," I said, shaking my head. I was right there with Aria. I just couldn't fathom anyone treating their own flesh and blood the way Becca's parents were treating her.

"So, what can I do to help?" Becca asked, clearly trying to push it out of her mind.

"You can come get your hands dirty and help me with this bird," Jordan said. "Not fair that I'm the only one who has to touch raw meat today."

"Wait a second. Who was it who put that monstrosity in the pan? Oh, right, that was me," I teased.

"You need some ice for that burn, Jordan?" Kendra giggled. "I'll finish up the stuffing."

When dinner was finally ready four hours later, we all sat on the couch and floor since the table wasn't big enough. And when we were done eating, Becca took a deep breath and spoke.

"Look, we don't have to do that thing where we all go around and say what we're thankful for, but I have to say this," she started. "I am so, so thankful for all of you. I'm thankful for Aria, who is the best roommate and friend anyone could ask for, and who came up with this idea because she refused to let me be alone today. And for Ezra, who let us all crash his Thanksgiving with his fiancée just because of me. And for Jordan who, without even being asked, cancelled her flight to Virginia to stay here with me. And for Kendra, who made me brave enough to finally be who I really am and not be ashamed of it. I really don't know what I would have done without y'all today."

"You'll never have to find out," Aria said. "Because we're not going anywhere. And while we're at it, I'm thankful for you, Becca. You have been the most amazing friend these past few months. You know more about me than almost anyone else here, and you've never judged me for it. And for Kendra and Jordan. You've both accepted me and haven't judged or made assumptions about me because my love life is a little unconventional. And I'm sorry, Jordan. I know we all promised not to make you feel like a third wheel, but I'm going to for a second." She sat up from leaning against my shoulder and turned to look at me. "Ezra, you have no idea how thankful I am for you. How thankful I am that you were crazy enough to move your entire life here for me. Seven months ago, I was wondering how I was going to survive saying goodbye to you and coming here completely alone. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be sitting here now, on the floor of your apartment in Savannah and engaged to you. I love you."

"I'm just thankful that _you_ were crazy enough to say yes," I teased as I kissed her. "I love you too. More than anything."

Aria turned back to look at Becca, who looked like she was biting her tongue.

"Okay, Becks, you can say it," she chuckled.

"Wait, wait, let me guess," Jordan giggled. "She's going to say the two of you are so cute it's disgusting. And I have to agree."

"Yeah, you're going to have to hand out those little bags they have on airplanes on your wedding day," Kendra said. "Someone's bound to need one."

Everyone laughed.

The girls left relatively early, after helping to clean up and doing all the dishes. They were the best houseguests I could have asked for. Jordan and Kendra were taking Becca for what they called extreme retail therapy in the form of Black Friday shopping tomorrow, so they were going to try to get to bed early. Aria had passed on that, which I was glad for. As soon as she hugged her friends goodbye and shut the door behind them, she turned to me.

"Seriously, thank you for letting me have them over," she said.

"It was actually fun," I told her. "Seeing how happy Becca was to be with people who love and accept her for who she is made it all worth it. And seeing how happy you were to share Thanksgiving with your friends."

"More than anything, I was just glad I got to be with you." She wound her arms around my neck and kissed me. "And I'm glad I get to spend the next three days with you."

"You have no idea how glad I am for that," I agreed. "And I don't know about you, but after spending all day in the kitchen, I need a shower."

Aria chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

I kissed her again and walked her backwards into the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes in our wake.

As we laid silently in bed a couple of hours later, the conversation I'd had with Jordan was eating at me. I realized that I couldn't not tell Aria. I couldn't keep this from her. If this creep did something to hurt her and I didn't at least tell her what I knew and try to stop it from happening, I would never forgive myself.

"You still awake?" I asked quietly.

"Mm," she mumbled.

"Are you coherent enough that I can talk to you?" I tried.

Aria picked up her head to look at me. "This sounds serious."

"Kind of is," I sighed. "Can you sit up for a minute? I need to tell you something."

She sat up and looked at me, looking scared of what I was going to say.

"Look," I started. "Ever since you told me your professor tried to slip you his number, I've had a feeling that something wasn't right. A few weeks ago, the principal at my school saw that something was on my mind, and when I told him what it was, he clarified where you went to school and asked me what I thought was a strange and off-the-wall question. He asked me if you wore your engagement ring regularly. I told him you did, and then he said I should talk to one of the other teachers. He introduced me to this teacher, and a couple of days later he and I went for a beer. He told me that his daughter went to school at Savannah College of Art and Design for a year and then she transferred because she had a professor act towards her the way Mr. Thomas is acting towards you. And he also told me that his daughter got engaged young too. Her boyfriend joined the Navy and proposed before he left for boot camp. On a hunch, I asked Jordan today if Mr. Thomas seemed to be singling you out and she told me she feels like he has. I know you've told me you felt the same way. Jordan also said that he's seemed oddly fixated on your engagement ring. I don't know what it means, and I don't know what happened to Alexis to make her leave after only a year, but too many things are starting to add up. I can't not at least tell you to be careful around him and to do everything you can to avoid being alone with him. I just have this feeling that this is going to get worse before the semester is over and it's scaring the hell out of me. If it wasn't for the fact that it's too late to withdraw passing from the class, I'd beg you to. But I can't encourage you to do something that's going to affect your GPA that much."

"Now I have to tell you something," Aria sighed. "I tried to drop the class. Right after he slipped me his number. But he basically told me that if I did, he wouldn't pass me. Gave the excuse of the couple of classes I missed when I had bronchitis. Said that his policy is that he doesn't let students who have missed classes withdraw passing. Which is true, except that excused absences are an exception and I had a doctor's note. But whatever. I just figured I only had to put up with him for another month and a half, so I just let it go and said I'd stay. I'm sorry. I was going to tell you. I don't know why I didn't."

That scared me even more. If that was his policy, fine. But the doctor's note would have been on file with the school. He would have known that. So basically he'd manipulated her into staying by holding her grades over her head. The thought crossed my mind that he'd probably manipulated students into…well, other things, by holding their grades above their heads. I knew Aria would let him fail her before doing anything like that (she'd probably slap him in the face for good measure, too), but still. The thought was disturbing.

"After I just told you I was keeping something that huge from you, I have no room to be upset," I said, pulling her in for a hug. "I know I'm probably overreacting, but I can't help it. If my saying something will protect you from him, it's worth it."

"Honestly? You're not overreacting. At least I don't think so. Now that you mention it, he has kind of stared at my left hand a lot. I always pushed that to the back of my mind because he was doing other more disturbing things, but if he did something bad enough to make that guy's engaged daughter change schools, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up already. I'm kind of scared to go back to his class now. But I only have a few more weeks and then I'm done. So I'll deal with it and make sure I'm glued to Jordan's side the entire time."

"I may or may not have asked Jordan not to leave you alone with him today," I admitted.

She chuckled. "I love you for that, but I promise I'll be fine. I've gone through a lot worse and handled myself. I can take a creepy professor hitting on me for a few more weeks. It's not like he's going to get anywhere, no matter what he tries. I'm happily engaged to the man I love more than anything else in this world."

I smiled; I still couldn't believe it sometimes. That I was actually lucky enough that she'd said yes to me. I tried to find something to say, but nothing quite did my feelings right now justice. So I just kissed her instead, gently rolling us back over so I was above her again.

"I love you," I said quietly. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're in my life."

Aria's smile made me melt into a puddle. It always had, from the moment I'd met her. And tonight was no exception.

"I love you too," she whispered back as she pulled me back down for another kiss.


	6. Warnings

Chapter Six  
 _Warnings_

 **Ezra**

It was the week before exams (mid-terms for my students, finals for Aria). I hadn't seen Aria for a week and a half because she was up to her eyeballs in final projects and studying for exams. But, thank God, I'd see her for a little while tomorrow night. Tomorrow was Becca and Kendra's opening night in _Chicago,_ so we were going to support them. We wouldn't have much chance to talk or any time alone since the show was on campus and she was just going back to her room afterwards, but it was better than nothing.

My phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I decided to answer anyway. I hoped I was wrong, but one of Aria's friends could have gotten my number from her phone if something had happened.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Fitz?" came a female voice I didn't recognize.

"Yes. Who is this?" I asked. Definitely not a friend of Aria's since she hadn't called me by my first name.

"My name's Alexis. You work with my father, Adam Fisher," she said, sounding nervous.

Holy shit. This was Mr. Fisher's daughter. The one who had transferred out of Aria's school.

"Hi, Alexis," I said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you get this number?"

"My dad gave it to me. I'm sorry to just call you like this, but I was hoping you might be free tonight? Maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee? My dad told me your fiancée is going to Savannah College of Art and Design for photography. I'd like to talk to you about why I transferred out."

"Yes, absolutely," I told her, eager to get more information and maybe unravel this mystery a little further. Unfortunately, my gut had been right. Things with the professor had gotten worse, not better.

"There's a hole in the wall coffee shop on tenth and Broad," she said.

"I know it. Right by the high school."

"Can you meet me there in an hour? I'll be wearing a blue scarf and gray sweater. My husband is coming with me."

"I'll be there," I said. "Thanks for reaching out."

"I just hope it's not too late to help your fiancée," Alexis sighed. "I was so mad at my dad for not telling you what happened. I know he was trying to protect me but helping people is more important."

Even if Alexis hadn't told me what she'd be wearing, I would have instantly recognized her. Because she was almost a spitting image of Aria. Not completely. They couldn't be twins or anything. But there was something about her that instantly made me think of Aria. Alexis looked...scarred, though. Like she'd never quite gotten over what had happened to her. Just like Aria with what she had gone through in high school, but worse somehow.

"Alexis?" I asked as I walked up to her.

"Hi. Mr. Fitz?"

"Call me Ezra," I insisted. "Mr. Fitz is reserved for my students."

"Okay," Alexis smiled. "This is my husband Jacob."

"Nice to meet you both," I said, shaking their hands.

After we got our coffees, which I insisted on paying for (they were, after all, helping me and Aria when they didn't have to), we sat down at a table in the corner. Alexis took a deep breath.

"Um, I'm not quite sure how to start," she said. "This is weird."

"Can you tell Alexis a little bit about your fiancée?" Jacob suggested. "That might help her figure out where to start."

"I can't put my finger on why, but you actually remind me a lot of her," I told her, pulling out my phone and pulling up the first of the self-portrait shots Aria had sent me. "Her name's Aria. She took that for her first photography assignment."

"The self-portraits. I remember those," she said. "I was so scared. She did amazing."

"She was pretty scared too," I chuckled. "That was actually a practice shot she took with a digital camera I gave her before she took the real pictures with film. She got really creative with them. She always does. You can scroll through if you want. Just swipe left."

"She definitely exposed herself," Alexis chuckled as she looked at the pictures. "Not how he probably wanted though."

Exposed herself. Just like Mr. Thomas had said to Aria when he'd asked to look at her practice shots. That couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Did you take a photography class while you were there?" I asked, hoping I wasn't pushing her too hard.

"Yeah, I did."

"Do you remember the professor's name?" I tried.

She sighed. "Kevin Thomas. I'll never forget him."

"He's why she transferred," Jacob said quietly, rubbing her shoulder. "Lex, this is why you wanted to come here. Tell Ezra what happened."

Alexis took a deep breath. "Mr. Thomas kind of seemed fixated on me and I could never figure out why. But from almost day one, he would make comments that on paper sounded like something a photography teacher might say to a student, except that he'd clearly give them a double meaning. And he'd, like, brush up against me and make it seem like an accident when I could tell he'd done it on purpose. Tried to slip me his number once, but I threw it out."

"He's been doing the same thing to Aria," I told her.

"I hope she's stronger than I was," she said, her voice catching. "On the last day of class, after the final, he asked to see me alone. He specifically said alone. When I stayed behind he told me that there was a way I could guarantee myself an A in his class. If I slept with him. I'd gotten a C on one big assignment so he and I both knew that the best I could get would be a B even if I aced the final."

Well, I'd unfortunately been right about him manipulating students by holding grades over their heads.

"If you don't mind my asking, what did you tell him?" I asked.

"I told him to go to hell," Alexis sniffled. "That I was engaged and I loved my fiancé more than I wanted a grade. He, um...he didn't like that very much. Basically, I ended up doing what he wanted anyway, but not willingly."

Jesus. He'd raped her. And probably more students. Poor girl. She was crying by the time she was done, and Jacob pulled her in for a hug.

"She tried to press charges, but he was smart," Jacob continued. "He used protection, so there was no DNA evidence. Without that, there was nothing to tie him to the rape, so the district attorney refused to charge him. And the dean refused to take a freshman's word over a respected professor's. So he got to continue to teach there at the school and he'd keep reminding her of what he'd done every chance he got for the entire next semester. She couldn't take it anymore and transferred out, closer to where I was based. We got married a lot sooner than we'd originally planned on. After that, I just didn't want to wait anymore. She's graduating this year, with honors if she keeps up the way she has been."

"I'm so sorry, Alexis," I said, trying to keep back tears myself. I just couldn't understand what would make someone violate another human being like that. "Thank you for telling me. You're very brave to be willing to share your story with someone you've never met."

"I just hope it's not too late to help Aria," Alexis said. "I don't know if the fact that she's engaged has anything to do with this or not but it's certainly a strange coincidence. But it's not like she can do anything now. She can't drop the class right before finals."

"She tried to drop it. But she'd missed a couple days because she got bronchitis. She had a doctor's note, so they were excused, but he tried to tell her that he didn't let students who missed classes withdraw passing," I told her, shaking my head.

"Jackass," she muttered. "Just tell her no matter what to make sure she never ends up alone with him. That's all she can do at this point. Do you think she'd be too freaked out if I sent her a message on Facebook? Tried to talk to her?"

"No," I said confidently. "She's pretty outgoing. She'll talk to you. Especially if you tell her that your dad works with me. Matter of fact, if you want to send me a friend request so she'll see that you know me, you can. Then you can find her profile easily too."

"Sure. What's your email address?"

I gave her the email address I used for Facebook and she found me easily. We talked for a little while longer, and the more we talked, the more Alexis reminded me of Aria. It was uncanny how much they had in common. If the two of them ended up talking about anything other than Mr. Thomas, they'd become fast friends.

"Do you mind waiting until tomorrow night to reach out to Aria?" I asked, realizing I should probably tell Aria about this before Alexis just sent her a random message. "She's up to her eyeballs in final projects and studying for exams, but I'll see her tomorrow. I'd like to give her a heads-up, and she won't be in his class again until Thursday afternoon anyway."

"Of course," she said. "An introduction might make this go smoother. Thanks for meeting us on such short notice."

"Thank _you_ for reaching out," I said. "I really appreciate your courage telling me your story. I hope it's not too late for it to do Aria some good."

"You have no idea how much I hope that too. If I can keep someone else from going through what I did, it's worth having an uncomfortable conversation with a stranger," Alexis chuckled.

The next night, I went to Aria's dorm room rather than meeting her at the theater like we'd agreed on. I wanted to talk to her alone for a few minutes before going to the show. I walked in to find Aria looking like something was bothering her. Hopefully the flowers I'd brought would cheer her up a little. It had felt wrong to get flowers for Becca and Kendra for their opening night without also getting some for Aria.

"Wait, did I forget something important?" Aria said as she put the flowers in a vase.

"No, it just felt weird buying flowers for Becca and Kendra without getting some for my fiancée too," I chuckled as I kissed her. "I've missed you. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

She just hugged me, sighing as she rested her head on my chest. I immediately returned the embrace and kissed her hair. Yes, something was definitely bothering her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I have told you it's scary when you do that, right?" she sighed.

"Aria, anyone would be able to tell you're upset right now. What is it?" I pressed.

Aria sighed again and sat down on her bed. I went to sit next to her and she grabbed something off her desk and handed it to me. When I looked down, I realized it was the final portfolio she'd turned in for her photography class. I'd looked at it the night before she turned it in last week.

"Open it," she said.

I did, and I saw a piece of paper with a C on it. I wasn't such an expert on photography, but even I could tell that this was an A-quality portfolio, and obviously Aria knew that too. With the conversation I'd had with Alexis last night fresh in my mind, I immediately realized his game.

"Ezra, he's _trying_ to get me to challenge it," Aria told me after I'd had a second to process what I'd seen. "I know this is an A-quality portfolio. So do you. And I know he does too. But if he thinks I'm going to put myself in a position to be alone with him so he can try to get me to sleep with him or whatever for a better grade, he's sadly mistaken. I'm taking the C. I just want to be done with this class. He can even fail me if he wants. I don't care what it does to my GPA. I'll just retake it with a different professor next semester."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I wasn't going to be any help to her while I was panicking like this. And obviously Aria knew this guy's game too, so she wasn't going to do anything rash.

"I have to tell you something," I started. "Remember on Thanksgiving I told you about the teacher I talked to whose daughter transferred out of here after a year?"

"Yeah," she said. "What about him?"

"I got a very unexpected phone call last night. From his daughter. Apparently he'd told her that I was asking questions and she was upset with him for not telling me everything that happened to her. She said she knew he was trying to protect her, but helping someone avoid what she went through was more important. So I met her and her husband for coffee last night and we talked."

"What did she say?" Aria asked.

"I think I should let her tell you herself," I told her. "Her name's Alexis Brooks. She friended me on Facebook last night and she's going to send you a message tonight. I asked her to wait until I could tell you who she was before she reached out to you. All I will tell you is that Mr. Thomas had everything to do with why she transferred and she's never really gotten over it. Just…please be careful for the couple of classes you have left with him and listen to what she has to say. Promise me."

"I promise," she said. "I know his game. It takes two to play it and I'll let him fail me before I let myself be one of those people. I'm not going to put myself in a position to be alone with him if I can avoid it."

There was a knock at the door.

"It's open," Aria called.

Jordan walked in.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were here, Ezra," she said. "I thought you were meeting us at the theater."

"Yeah, he was," Aria said before I could say anything. "But he got here a little early so he came to the room instead. We were just getting ready to head out."

Jordan looked at Aria quizzically, I guessed trying to determine if she'd said anything to me about the portfolio yet without actually asking her.

"Yes, I told him about the portfolio," Aria told her.

I wished I had Jordan's number so I could text her and give her a heads-up about what had happened to Alexis. The more people who knew, the safer Aria would be if Mr. Thomas tried anything tomorrow or Tuesday.

"Nice flowers," Jordan said, clearly trying to change the subject. "He spoils you."

"Someone has to," I said, kissing Aria's temple. "You ladies ready to head to the theater?"

"I'm ready," Aria said. "Jordan?"

"Yep. Don't forget your camera and the new memory card."

Aria had told me she was going to surprise Becca and Kendra by getting some pictures of them in the show. Her camera had a theater setting, so she'd be able to get shots that looked like something a professional photographer would take without using a flash. She'd been thrilled when she figured that out and had tried it at a concert she and the girls had gone to a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen her this excited to take pictures in a while. Not since everything had started happening with Mr. Thomas.

"Got it," Aria said, grabbing her camera bag as she stood up. "New card's already loaded and ready to go."

I stood up too and grabbed the flowers off of Becca's bed, and we headed out the door. I'd hoped to get a second to talk to Jordan before the show, but no luck. We literally got there with three minutes to spare and the lights went down almost as soon as we found our seats.

Aria had told me that Becca could lose her Southern accent when she put her mind to it, but I hadn't completely believed her. I was floored to discover that not only had she turned off the Southern accent, but she'd obviously spent some time perfecting a Chicago accent for this show. If I hadn't known she was from Alabama, I would have never guessed from how she sounded in this show. She only turned on the Southern accent when her character was supposed to be acting like she was from the south. She really was phenomenal. The entire show was very well done.

When the lights went up during intermission, Aria checked her phone and she'd gotten a message from Alexis. She sent a response asking if Alexis might be free to talk after the show was over; Alexis said she'd stay up as late as Aria needed. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders knowing that Aria and Alexis would be talking tonight. Aria wouldn't be going into Mr. Thomas's class blind tomorrow.

Aria, Jordan, and I headed backstage after the show to see Becca and Kendra and congratulate them on a great opening night. They emerged from the dressing rooms after about ten minutes in street clothes, but still with stage makeup on.

"Becks, that was fantastic!" Aria said, going to give her a hug and then turning to Kendra. "You too, Kendra! The show was incredible."

"I wish these were coming from your parents, but since they obviously aren't here, I figured someone had to do this," I said, handing Becca her bouquet of flowers, and then turning to Kendra. "And whether or not your parents are here, Kendra, you deserve these too. You were both amazing."

"Aww, thank you, Ezra," Becca said in the thick Southern drawl we all knew and loved, giving me a hug.

"I have a surprise for you both too," Aria said, pulling her camera out of its bag. "Remember that new camera setting I was playing around with at the concert a couple of weeks ago? It was because I wanted to see if it would work tonight."

Aria turned her camera on and showed Becca and Kendra the shots she'd gotten during the show.

"Aria, these look like something you'd see in a magazine or newspaper," Kendra said. "They're amazing. Thank you so much."

"This memory card is for you guys," she said, swapping the card out with one that she had in a memory card case in her bag. She handed the card from tonight's show to Becca.

Suddenly Becca froze in her tracks, staring past me at the stage door. I turned to see what she was looking at and I recognized Becca's mother from move-in day. A young girl, probably a junior or senior in high school, was standing next to her. I guessed she was Becca's sister.

"Mom," Becca choked out, clearly in too much shock to say anything else. "Lindsay."

"Your father was furious with us, but we couldn't miss your opening night," Becca's mother said. "Becca, you were wonderful."

"What Mom said," Lindsay said as she walked up and gave her sister a hug. "You knocked it out of the park, sis."

"Thanks," Becca said.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Lindsay asked.

"Sure," Becca chuckled. "This is my roommate and one of my best friends, Aria, and that's her fiancé, Ezra. That's my other best friend, Jordan. And this is my girlfriend, Kendra." She took Kendra's hand, probably half for support and half to show her family she wasn't ashamed.

Becca's mother looked a little taken aback at Becca so boldly introducing Kendra as her girlfriend. Lindsay, however, immediately greeted us warmly and shook all of our hands, just as Becca had done with me and Aria's parents on move-in day.

"We'll leave you with your family," Aria said. "Great job tonight, Becks. I'll see you when you get back to the dorm."

"Thanks, Aria," Becca said, giving Aria a hug. "Thank you for the pictures. They're amazing."

"You're welcome," Aria said, then turned to me and Jordan. "Come on, guys. Let's give Becca some time with her family."

I walked Aria and Jordan back to their dorm, and Jordan went inside to let me say good night to Aria. As I kissed her goodbye and turned to leave, I couldn't help the sinking feeling I had in my stomach that despite Alexis's and my warnings and Aria's own gut instincts, Mr. Thomas would still manage to do something horrible before the semester was over.

 **Aria**

I barely slept at all after talking to Alexis. I was too scared of what would happen when I went back to Mr. Thomas's class. Unfortunately, even if I did everything I could to avoid being alone with him, if he _asked_ to see me alone and refused to talk to me until everyone else left the room, there wasn't much I could do about that. It had been too late to text Ezra and tell him I'd talked to her by the time we were done, but I texted him when my alarm woke me up for math class.

 _Talked to Alexis last night. Wow. Poor girl. And brave to be willing to talk to us. I promise I'll do everything I can not to end up alone with him._

It wasn't thirty seconds later that I got a text back. He'd obviously been waiting to hear from me.

 _Please do. I don't even want to think about someone hurting you. I love you._

 _I love you too,_ I texted back. _And I miss you. Can't wait for exams to be over._

 _I know,_ he responded. _Me too._

I was a zombie in my math and American history classes, and I barely ate anything at lunch. I literally could not stop thinking about what Alexis had told me and trying to figure out how to stop Mr. Thomas from getting me alone. I already knew I wasn't going to challenge the grade he'd given me on my portfolio, but I just had this feeling that he was going to come up with some reason to ask to see me alone. Now more than ever, I was glad I'd dated Jake for that month last year. I had a feeling the self-defense lessons were about to come in handy.

"Aria," Jordan interrupted me as I was leaving the cafeteria. "What's wrong? Late night?"

"I've never been more scared to go to Mr. Thomas's class than I am right now," I said, trying to keep back the tears that had been building up all day.

"Why? What's going on?"

I took a deep breath. "Look, Ezra works with someone whose daughter went to this school. She transferred out after a year. He tried talking to the guy, but the guy was pretty tight-lipped about what his daughter had been through. Just said that it was something similar to what I was going through and that she'd also gotten engaged young. Her boyfriend joined the Navy and proposed before he left to go to boot camp. Tuesday night, out of the blue, he gets a phone call from this guy's daughter asking him to meet her and her husband for coffee."

"So what did she say to him?" she asked.

"Actually, I ended up getting it straight from the horse's mouth. I guess she asked Ezra if it would be okay if she reached out to me on Facebook. He friended her so she could find me easily and so I could see that she knew him, and then asked her to wait until he had a chance to tell me who she was. That was why he got here early last night and came to my room rather than meeting us at the theater. Alexis sent me a Facebook message last night and I talked to her on the phone after the show. Mr. Thomas raped her at the end of her first semester here after harassing her all semester long like he's been doing with me. She doesn't know if the fact that she was engaged and wore her ring like me has anything to do with it, but she said he used to stare at her left hand nonstop too."

"Wow," Jordan said. "I thought he was a creep, but I never imagined that he was a rapist. How is he still teaching here and not behind bars?"

"She tried to press charges, but he used protection so there was no DNA evidence against him. Besides that, everything they had was circumstantial and it wasn't enough to convince the district attorney to charge him. Because he wasn't charged and the dean wouldn't take a freshman's word over a respected professor's, he was allowed to continue teaching here. And he rubbed it in to her face every chance he got. So after another semester, she transferred out closer to where her fiancé was stationed. They got married that summer. But seriously, who knows how many other students Mr. Thomas has raped and gotten away with it?" I said, hyperventilating by the time I was done.

"Probably a lot," she sighed. "Look, you know I'm not going to leave you alone with him if I can help it. Even if he asks to see you alone, I'm not going anywhere unless he throws me out. I promise. And we only have today and Tuesday left. You can do this. Come on. Let's go get today over with and then I'll buy you a coffee. Okay?"

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Thanks, Jordan."

Today's class consisted of making sure we had all of our supplies out of the darkroom and that our stations were clean. Throughout the whole class, Mr. Thomas was looking expectantly at me, like he was waiting for me to say something to him. He clearly expected me to try to challenge my portfolio grade. I tried to leave when I was done cleaning my station, but he asked me to stay. Jordan stayed with me.

As soon as the rest of the students had left, Mr. Thomas spoke.

"Miss Montgomery, may I speak to you alone please?" he said.

And there it was. I choked back tears. Jordan stayed firmly planted where she was.

"Miss Blake, would you mind giving us the room?" Mr. Thomas asked.

"It's okay, Mr. Thomas. I don't mind if Jordan hears anything you have to say to me," I tried. I knew it was futile, but I had to try.

"I'm sorry, Miss Blake, but it would be a breach of confidentiality to allow you to hear this. You're welcome to wait for Miss Montgomery right outside if you'd like," he said, sounding a little…breathy? Excited?

I steeled myself. I had no choice. I had to stay here. With him. Alone.

"You okay, Aria?" Jordan asked me.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I choked out. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

Jordan walked out the door, looking almost as scared as I was. Mr. Thomas followed her, and on a hunch, I quietly pulled my phone out and set it to record before putting it back in my purse. And then I heard something that made my heart jump into my throat. Mr. Thomas shut and locked the darkroom door and then turned back to face me. Under the infrared lights, his eyes glowed with a sinister look I'd never seen before as he walked back towards me.


	7. Aftermath

Chapter Seven  
 _Aftermath_

 **Ezra**

"And what is the significance of the eyes of Dr. J.T. Eckleburg?" I asked.

Dead silence. No one raised their hands.

"Anyone?"

I was in the middle of a review of _The Great Gatsby_ with my fifth of six classes of the day. I had a feeling I'd be handing out a lot of C's on the mid-term exam next week given how apathetic the students seemed to be about this review. Then again, it was a review session, not a dialogue. Still, it was days like today when I missed having Aria and Spencer and even Mona in my class. They always contributed and actually sparked discussions amongst the other students too.

Before I could remind the students of the answer, Principal White walked into my classroom. I knew something was majorly wrong because he looked like he'd just seen a ghost. My heart immediately jumped into my throat and my stomach clenched into a knot. If this was about a student, they would have called the student down to the office. This had to be about Aria.

"Mr. Fitz, may I speak to you in your office for a moment?" he said. It sounded professional but...sad? Empathetic?

"Of course," I said, ignoring the snickering from half of the class.

We walked back into my office, and he shut the door.

"Ezra," he said, immediately switching off the professionalism and turning into the good friend he'd become over the past few months. "The office just got a call from Aria's roommate. Something's happened. I don't know what exactly, but Aria's in the ER at Memorial University. I'll stay with your class until the sub I've called for can get here."

Oh, Christ. She would have just gotten out of Mr. Thomas's class an hour and a half ago. Long enough for her friends to get her to the hospital and call the school.

"Thank you, Mark," I choked out. "It's just a review for the mid-term exam. I left it on my desk. We're going over _The_ _Great Gatsby_ today and _A Streetcar Named Desire_ tomorrow."

"Great. I'll let the sub know. I arranged for someone to cover tomorrow too. You go be with your fiancée until Monday."

I forced a smile. I'd gotten extremely lucky with this job. Mark White was a fantastic principal and an even better friend.

"Thanks again," I said. "I'll email the review for _Streetcar_ to you tonight."

"Of course. You know, I'd really like to meet Aria one day," he said. "Please call and let me know how she's doing."

"I will," I promised as I walked out of the office and back up to my desk to grab my briefcase. I turned to the class. "Look, guys, Mr. White is going to take over the review until a substitute can get here. I have to leave. My fiancée's in the hospital. Try not to give the sub too hard a time, okay?"

They all chuckled a little bit, but they looked more concerned than anything. They were actually a pretty good bunch of kids, and they could obviously tell I was worried. I could only imagine what my face looked like as I shouldered my briefcase and walked out the door. I knew word was going to travel around to every one of my students, so I'd have to come up with something to tell them next week.

I broke a couple of traffic laws getting to the hospital. When I got there, I almost forgot to lock the car in my haste to get inside. I sprinted into the emergency room waiting area and saw Kendra sitting there, clearly waiting for me. Becca was nowhere in sight. I figured she was probably with Aria.

"Ezra," she said, walking up to me.

"Kendra," I panted, trying to catch my breath. "What happened? Where is she?"

Kendra took a deep breath. "Look, Becca wanted to let Aria be the one to tell you. And I'll let her tell you most of it, but I'm not going to let you go back there completely clueless. Come sit down with me for a minute."

Well, if Kendra wanted to give me a warning before taking me back to see Aria, clearly this was serious. Once we sat down, she took another deep breath before speaking again.

"How much has Aria told you about Mr. Thomas?" Kendra asked me.

I couldn't even vocalize the question that had been at the forefront of my mind from the second I'd found out Aria was here. If he'd done to Aria what he had done to Alexis. I almost didn't want to know the answer.

"Everything," I told her. "I know everything. Did he…?"

"No," she said immediately; she clearly knew where my head was. "But it was a close call. Aria's a brave girl. She fought him off. She's got some pretty ugly marks to show for it though. Be patient with her. I'm sure she'll tell you about it eventually, but she could barely get two words out to tell me and Becca what happened when she got back to the dorm. The good thing is she had enough foresight to set her cell phone to record. She has audio of the whole attack and she turned it over to the police. They just got done questioning her."

I put my head in my hands, trying to choke the tears back. I should have told her to drop his damn class, regardless of what it would do to her GPA. She could have retaken it next semester with another professor and brought her GPA back up. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened. But regardless of my own feelings, I couldn't let her see me like this. She needed me to be the strong one.

"Come on," Kendra said after a minute. "I'll take you back there."

She led me back to the room quickly. Aria was in a hospital gown, lying down on her side facing away from the door, with her right arm wrapped in gauze from her elbow all the way down to her pinky and ring fingers. Becca was sitting on the bed next to her with a hand on her shoulder and Jordan was sitting in a chair as close to the bed as she could get. Aria clearly didn't hear us come in.

"Aria, Ezra's here," Becca said quietly. "Do you want us to stay?"

Aria didn't say anything. She didn't even nod or shake her head. I had a feeling it was going to take a while to get her to even look at me, let alone tell me what happened.

Becca got up from the bed and moved to a chair. Kendra stood next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Jordan didn't budge. They obviously didn't want to leave their friend.

"Watch the middle of her back," Becca told me.

I nodded and went to sit closer to the head of the bed.

"Hey," I said quietly, leaning down to kiss Aria's head. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she mumbled.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.

I'd been wrong about it taking a while for Aria to look at me. She slowly (and, I could tell, painfully) rolled over and sat up. I wanted to help her, but I also didn't want to hurt her any more or freak her out. So I just let her do it on her own. And as soon as she was in an upright position, she wrapped her arms around my neck and put her head on my shoulder. I put an arm around her shoulders and turned to kiss her forehead.

"How much did they tell you?" Aria asked quietly.

"Enough," I told her. "You don't have to talk about it."

"I'll tell you, but not here. I'm just waiting for them to get back with my discharge papers and prescriptions for painkillers and ointment for my arm."

Prescription painkillers? Doctors didn't just hand those out like candy. God, what had this piece of human filth done to her? What was under that gauze on her arm? And what was wrong with her back, that Becca had told me to be careful?

"Okay," I said. "You can tell me at home. Or not."

"Thank you for coming," she sighed. "I told Becca not to call you at work, but she didn't listen."

I chuckled, and so did the rest of the girls. Of course she would be worried about making me leave work.

"I'm glad she didn't listen. If you'll recall, I moved here for you, not for a job," I told her, kissing her forehead again.

"Yeah, but that job is what keeps a roof over your head," she said.

"And it'll still be there when I get back. The principal himself came to monitor my classes until they could find a sub. And he insisted on me taking tomorrow off too. So I'm pretty sure he's not going to fire me."

"Was he trying to scare your students half to death, staying to monitor the class?"

I laughed a little, glad her sense of humor was still intact. "Maybe. But a little fear right before midterms isn't a bad thing."

The doctor walked back in the room then, and Aria sat up straight to talk to him.

"Okay, Aria, I want you to relax today and tomorrow," he told her. He handed her some papers, along with a roll of gauze and a roll of medical tape. "I've written you a note for school. This is a prescription for hydrocodone. It's a narcotic, so don't drive after taking it. The other prescription is for ointment for your arm. Change the bandage and put ointment on it every eight hours for a week. And make sure you cover it with a plastic bag when you shower. Go ahead and get changed, and then your friends can take you home."

"Aria, do you need anything from the dorm?" Becca asked when he left. "I can go get it and bring it by the apartment."

"Um...my computer," Aria said. "I need to email a couple of assignments to professors since I won't be there to turn them in tomorrow. And my Psych and English binders and textbooks. Those are the exams I have on Monday."

"Done. I imagine you're headed to the pharmacy first, so text me when you get home, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for being here, Becks," Aria sighed. "And thank you too, Kendra and Jordan."

"What are friends for?" Becca replied, walking up to give Aria a very gentle hug. "Call me if you need anything, okay? Love you."

Kendra and Jordan came to give Aria hugs too before following Becca out the door. Aria looked a little uncomfortable; she clearly wasn't a fan of the attention.

As soon as her friends left, Aria slowly stood up and I helped her untie her hospital gown so she could put her clothes back on. As soon as she took the gown off, I realized immediately why the doctor had given her painkillers, other than for her arm. There was a huge bruise that started at about the middle of her back and went all the way down to right above her hips. And there was another pretty sizable bruise on her right shoulder. I involuntarily inhaled sharply.

"How bad does it look?" Aria asked as she put her jeans on.

She took the necklace I'd given her as a graduation gift and her engagement ring out of her pocket to put back on. She never took either of them off, so I figured they'd probably made her remove them for an x-ray.

"On a scale of one to ten?" I said, taking the necklace and putting it on for her. "A twelve. How bad does it hurt?"

"Like an eight. They did an x-ray and nothing's broken, but some of my vertebra are bruised. They said it'll hurt pretty bad for a week or so."

She slid her bra back on, and I helped her fasten it when I saw she was struggling. Then she put her top and jacket on and turned around, hugging me tight. I gently returned the embrace and kissed her hair. She took a few deep breaths, like she was trying not to cry.

"Come on," I encouraged. "Let's go get your prescriptions filled and get you home."

Aria just nodded, and I slowly led her out to the car. She was clearly in a lot of pain. I wondered how she was going to manage getting up the stairs to my apartment with her back like this. I realized that I might have to carry her, which I was sure she would complain about. And that would probably hurt about as much as walking up the stairs would anyway.

As we were waiting to get her prescriptions filled at the pharmacy, Aria's phone rang. She checked, and it was Becca calling.

"Hey, Becks," Aria answered. "What's up?"

There was a pause as Becca spoke.

"No, just the stuff I told you about. I've got clothes and stuff at Ezra's. Thanks though."

Another pause.

"You're kidding. When did they get there?"

I wished we weren't in a public place so Aria could put the phone on speaker and I could hear what Becca was saying.

"Do you know what's happening?" Aria asked.

Another pause.

"Yes, please do. I don't have the energy to deal with that. My back hurts and my arm hurts and I just want to get back to Ezra's and take painkillers and try to get some rest."

I put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, and she winced a little. Damn. I hadn't meant to hurt her even more.

"Sorry," I whispered, kissing her hair.

She smiled at me and leaned against my shoulder; she knew it wasn't intentional.

"We're waiting for my prescriptions at the pharmacy now," Aria said. "Then we're headed there."

Another pause.

"Okay, I will. I'll see you later. Thanks again, Becks. Okay, bye."

She hung up and sat up to look at me.

"Apparently the cops are all over the practical arts building. There's like a dozen officers there. And reporters, who are apparently asking about me. Becca and the rest of my friends are going to dodge them for me. I have no desire to talk to reporters about this. Especially when I haven't even told you about it yet."

"Well, I could always just round them all up and invite them over for coffee. Then you can tell us all at once," I teased.

She chuckled weakly. "I think I'll pass. I don't want this to be my fifteen minutes of fame."

After we got her prescription and I got her up to the apartment, which ended up not being as much of a production as I would have thought (I should have known Aria would just grin and bear the pain), I was a little surprised when Aria didn't immediately head to the bedroom. She just sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. I went to sit next to her for a second, to try to convince her to get some rest before telling me about this. I honestly didn't care if I never found out the whole story. What I cared about was that she was safe and home with me now. That was what was really important.

"Aria, we don't have to do this now," I told her. "You're tired and in pain. Get some rest. We have the next three days to talk."

She shook her head. "I'm not sleeping until I get this out."

I chuckled silently. She never liked going to sleep with something important on her mind. I should have realized she'd want to get this off her chest before taking narcotics and falling into a drug-induced slumber.

"Okay, I'll start the coffee," I told her.

I kissed Aria's forehead and got up to start a pot of coffee. While I was doing that, she got her phone out and texted Becca to tell her we'd made it back home.

"Becca's going to try to wait until the vultures leave before she brings my stuff over," Aria said a few minutes later. "She doesn't want them following her and figuring out where I am. I guess word has gotten around that she's my roommate and they've been watching her like hawks. She might end up giving my stuff to Jordan to bring over here since she and Kendra have to be at the theater in an hour and a half for the show."

"Wow," I said. "You're nineteen years old and you've just been assaulted. Do they have no sense of common decency?"

"Not if there's a story in it for them, apparently," she sighed.

I walked back over with two cups of coffee and sat next to her on the couch. She took a sip and then turned to face me.

"Are you sure you want to hear this, Ezra?" she asked me.

"Of course I don't _want_ to hear it," I told her. "I don't want to hear about anyone hurting you. But I can handle it if you want to tell me."

"So, today we were in the darkroom getting our supplies cleaned out and stuff, and when the class was over, he asked to see me alone," she started. "He specifically said alone. Jordan and I looked at each other, and I could tell she didn't want to leave me in there with him, but he didn't leave her with much of a choice. She tried to stay and he asked her to leave, even after I said that I didn't mind her hearing anything he had to say to me. So she walked out, and as soon as he went to shut the door, I pulled out my phone and set it to record. After talking to Alexis, I knew I'd want proof of whatever was about to happen."

"That was smart," I told her.

"As soon as he shut the door, I heard the lock click, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I realized I had no escape. He was between me and the door, and I knew he was going to stay there. He turned around and walked back up to me, and he asked me why I hadn't challenged my final portfolio grade. Said he and I both knew it was an A-quality portfolio."

"How in the hell has he gotten away with doing this stuff until now?" I wondered out loud.

"Because there was never any proof of it. Even if students reported him to the dean, who is he going to believe? A student or a respected and tenured professor?" she said.

"So what did you tell him when he asked you why you hadn't challenged your grade?"

"I told him that he was the teacher and I was the student, and if that was the grade he felt I'd earned, I would accept it and learn from my mistakes. Then he told me my only mistake was 'playing hard-to-get,'" she said, using air quotes for emphasis.

I scoffed and shook my head. I literally had no words. This was insane. How had no one caught him doing this before now? Alexis couldn't have been his first victim, and I would have been willing to bet there had been others in the couple of years between when she was there and when Aria had ended up in his class.

"Oh, it gets better," Aria said. "You'll love this. And by love it, I mean be completely creeped out by it. I told him I wasn't playing at anything, that I was engaged. And then, get this, he said he and I both knew that I'd slept with my teachers before."

"Wait, what?" I said, shocked. "How in the hell did he know about us? Becca is the only one who knows that, right?"

"Well, now Kendra and Jordan do too," she told me. "But yes, until this afternoon, Becca was the only one who knew. Anyway, I tried to act like I had no idea what he was talking about, and that was when he told me that he'd made some calls to my former teachers at Rosewood High and he'd heard the rumors about us."

Jesus. Arthur Hackett had tried to call me yesterday, but I hadn't answered. I'd been too preoccupied by my conversation with Alexis and making sure that she and Aria talked before Aria saw Mr. Thomas again to bother with it.

"Damn it," I sighed. "Hackett called me three times yesterday. I never called him back. He was probably trying to warn me that someone was asking questions. What did you say when he told you that?"

"Something that pissed him off. I told him that if he'd heard those rumors, then he'd probably also heard that the teacher those rumors were about was now my fiancé. He said he didn't buy it, that no high school teacher would actually get engaged to a student they were having an affair with. I told him that you'd moved here with me and that I'd happily introduce the two of you at his convenience."

"Yeah, I'd _love_ to meet this guy," I said sarcastically. He'd need reconstructive surgery by the time I was done with him. Maybe I'd bruise _his_ spine and see how he liked it.

Aria chuckled. "I'm sure you would. Anyway, he…um, he said, 'I'd like to see what he'd do if he found out he wasn't the only one.' He tried to kiss me and I slapped him in the face. Then he grabbed the bottom of my shirt and ripped it to the point where it was pretty much falling off of me. I tried to push him off, but he pushed me backwards into the development table. That's how I hurt my back. It hurt like hell, but I stood back up. He slapped me in the face, and I kneed him in the balls, but it didn't stop him. He threw me back against the development table. I actually fell back onto it that time, and my arm ended up in the chemicals. Hence the gauze. Second-degree chemical burns on my entire forearm and my pinky and ring fingers. It hurt, but I guess the adrenaline going through my system was overpowering anything else, and I kicked him in the balls and then sat up and jabbed him in the throat. While he was gasping for breath, I ran to the door, unlocked it, and got the hell out of there.

"Jordan was standing right there and told me that she'd called one of his assistants for help and they wouldn't do anything about it. I guess they knew this kind of thing happened and he just gave them free A's and bribed them with cash as long as they kept quiet, and threatened them with F's if they told anyone. So she'd called the cops. I told her I didn't want to deal with that and I just wanted to get out of there, so she gave me her coat to cover up since my shirt was basically in shreds and walked me back to the dorm. Becca and Kendra were there and as soon as they saw me, they told me they were taking me to the hospital and there was nothing I could say about it. Like I told you before, I told Becca not to call you, that I'd call you myself when you got off work. But I'm glad she didn't listen to me."

"So am I," I told her, moving closer and wrapping my arms around her, making sure to avoid her bad shoulder and her mid-back. "I'm proud of you."

She chuckled weakly.

"I mean it," I told her, pulling back so I could look her in the eyes. "Do you know how brave you are? You put up a hell of a fight. And you got yourself out of a situation that I'm sure was in some ways worse than anything you went through in high school."

"It was pretty terrifying," Aria agreed. "But at least I knew who I was fighting this time. And it only lasted about ten minutes, not two years. I have to say, though, I don't think I've ever been gladder that you were crazy enough to move here for me."

I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Me either. Though even if this hadn't worked out, even if I'd stayed in Rosewood, I'd have been on the first plane here today. You're more important than any job. You're my whole life."

I was a little shocked when she leaned in and kissed me. I'd purposely avoided that because I thought she'd be too traumatized for it.

"I love you," she told me. "More than anything."

"I love you too. Now, I'm going to put my foot down. You need to take a couple of painkillers and try to get some rest, okay?"

"You won't hear me complain. Will you come to bed with me? At least until I fall asleep?" Aria asked.

"You actually have to ask?" I scoffed.

She went into the bedroom and changed into one of my t-shirts, then took a couple of hydrocodone and laid down in bed. I got into bed with her and she fell asleep resting against my shoulder within about ten minutes. And as she slept, I started thinking that maybe staying here wasn't the best idea right now. The ER doctor had told her to rest, but there was no reason why she couldn't do that somewhere besides Savannah. A change of scenery would probably do her a world of good right now. I'd talk to her about it when she woke up. There were a couple of places we'd said we wanted to visit within two or three hours of Savannah. And as long as we got back by Sunday night, she wouldn't miss her exams on Monday.

There was a knock at the door, and I went to answer it. Jordan was standing on the other side holding a large tote bag.

"Hey, Ezra," she said. "Becca gave me Aria's computer and Psych and English stuff to bring by. The press has been watching her like hawks trying to get to Aria, so she didn't want to risk someone following her if she came here."

"Thanks, Jordan," I said as I took the tote bag containing Aria's stuff.

"I wish I could have done more to stop this," she sighed. "How's she doing?"

"Honestly? She barely made it up the stairs here. She took some prescription painkillers and she's sleeping now, thank God."

"I wanted to tell you guys that they just escorted Mr. Thomas off campus in handcuffs," Jordan said. "Apparently Aria's not the only one he's done this to. He rigged cameras in the dark room, and there was video of him assaulting over a dozen students on his computer, and I think that girl you talked to, Alexis, is one of them. Aria's the only one who ever fought back hard enough to stop him."

"Jesus," I gasped. "How have they not caught him before now?"

"Because no one other than Alexis was brave enough to report him, and we all know how well that went. But as soon as Aria came forward, so did a bunch of other students. She started a domino effect."

"What about his assistants who knew and did nothing about it?" I asked. "Who knows how many people they could have stopped him from hurting, but they just sat there and let it happen."

"I know," Jordan agreed. "It's sickening. I guess they're being charged with accessory to rape. But they'll probably get off pretty easy."

"At least they're being charged with something. They're all old enough to know better. Anyone who's older than about five is old enough to know better than to behave the way they did."

"No joke. Anyway, I'll let you get back to Aria. Tell her she's got a whole dorm full of people thinking of her. And if you guys need anything, you have friends who are only a phone call away. I'm glad she has you here. She needed to get off campus after this."

"Thanks again, Jordan," I told her. "I'll tell her."

"See you later," she said, turning and walking back down the stairs.

I got back to the bedroom to find Aria half-awake.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"Hey," I said as I got back into bed and gently pulled her back into my arms. "Jordan brought your computer and Psych and English stuff by."

"Yeah, I heard you guys talking. The knock on the door woke me up. I heard they arrested Mr. Thomas."

"Yep. He's not going to hurt you or anyone else anymore, thank God. Did you hear the part where you started a domino effect by coming forward?"

"I did. And I'm glad. Girls shouldn't be afraid to come forward when something happens to them, no matter what it is. I learned that from everything that happened to me in high school."

I smiled and kissed her hair. God, was I proud of her. She'd always been the bravest and strongest person I knew. It was one of the infinite number of reasons why I loved her.

"No, they shouldn't," I agreed. "No one should be afraid to report something like this."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I'm glad the other students came forward."

"Hey, what do you think about getting out of town for a couple of days?" I asked. "I know you're supposed to be resting, but there's no reason why you can't do that somewhere besides here. I think a change of scenery might do you good right now."

"Okay."

"Any thoughts on where? I know there's a few places we wanted to go within a few hours of here."

"I honestly can't even concentrate enough to think about that right now. I'm still sleepy from the painkillers. Surprise me."

I chuckled. "Okay. Try to go back to sleep."

Aria was asleep again within a couple of minutes, but just as she fell asleep, my phone buzzed. It was Principal White. Damn. I had to take it. And I had to email the _Streetcar_ review to him so he could give it to the sub for me tomorrow.

"Mark," I answered, almost too late, as I walked out of the bedroom and shut the door. "I'm sorry, it's kind of been one thing after the other ever since I left the school. I'll get that review to you right now."

"As long as it's in my inbox by the time I get into my office tomorrow morning, I don't care if you send it at six in the morning," he told me. "I just wanted to call and see how Aria's doing."

I sighed. "Honestly? It could have been a lot worse, and it almost was. But she's still in a lot of pain and I'm sure what happened is going to stay with her for a while."

"I don't mean to pry, but do you mind telling me what did happen?"

"Her photography professor, the one who apparently didn't know how to take no for an answer? The one who hurt Adam Fisher's daughter? Well, he didn't take no for an answer today, that's for sure."

I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone.

"Did he…?" Mr. White asked. He couldn't actually get the whole question out either, just like I couldn't at the hospital.

"No," I told him. "She fought him off, but she's got some pretty bad marks to show for it. It happened in the darkroom, and he threw her against a solid steel developing table twice. She has a couple of bruised vertebra, the biggest bruise I've ever seen in my life on her back, and another pretty sizeable bruise on her shoulder. And her arm ended up in some of the developing chemicals. She has second-degree chemical burns from her elbow all the way down. She took a couple of prescription painkillers and she's asleep now."

"Jesus," he sighed. "I'm so sorry. I'm glad I told you to take tomorrow off."

"Me too. I think I'm going to take her out of town for a couple of days. She's supposed to be resting, but she can do that anywhere. I think a change of scenery would do her a world of good right now."

"You know, St. Augustine, Florida is less than three hours from here. My wife and I love going down there for a weekend getaway every once in a while. It's a beautiful, historic small town. And if Aria is up to even picking up a camera right now, there's definitely plenty of subject matter. Just a suggestion."

"That sounds perfect, actually," I told him. "Thanks. Maybe the new subject matter will actually make her want to take a few pictures. I hope. I hate the idea of her being afraid to do something that she used to love. I'll send you the review right now before I book a room there."

"Don't hurry on my account," Mr. White said. "I'll see you on Monday."

"See you Monday," I said. "Thanks again, Mark."

I hung up and grabbed my laptop before heading back into the bedroom. Aria was still asleep. I quickly emailed the review to Mr. White before starting to search for hotels in St. Augustine. I splurged a little for a room right downtown so we didn't have to do too much walking to see anything. And before I knew it, I checked the clock and realized I needed to wake her up so we could change the bandage on her arm.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but we need to change your bandage," I told Aria as I gently shook her awake.

She groaned a little as she sat up. "I'm really not looking forward to that."

"I know. But the sooner we do it, the sooner you can go back to sleep."

"If I sleep any more right now, I'm never going to sleep tonight. It's probably a good thing you woke me up," she sighed.

"Well, you can sleep in the car tomorrow if insomnia kicks in later. Principal White called to see how you were doing and he recommended a weekend spot. So I booked us a room there for tomorrow and Saturday. We'll leave in the morning and be there by lunchtime."

She smiled. "You're spoiling me. Watch it. I could get used to this."

"You'd better get used to it," I told her, kissing her forehead. "Because I'm not going to stop for the rest of my life. Come on, let's get your bandage changed."

Aria's arm was…I had no words. I seriously doubted if she'd ever want to develop pictures again after knowing what the chemicals could do to her skin. I knew I wouldn't be caught dead in a darkroom after seeing this. Thank God for digital cameras and photo printers.

"Jesus," I said as I wrapped her arm back up in gauze.

"Yeah, it feels about as bad as it looks," she sighed. "I'm just glad it's not my left arm. Then it would have ruined my ring too."

I chuckled tensely. I seriously didn't know how she could even make a joke about this at all. It seemed like I was more freaked out by all of this than she was.

"Well, your ring is insured. And personally, I wish it wasn't either one of your arms. I'd prefer it if this hadn't happened at all," I said as I taped the gauze down.

"Ezra, I'm okay," Aria said, standing up and wrapping her arms around my neck. "Yes, I'm in pain. And yes, what happened is going to stay with me. I'll probably have some nightmares about it, and it might be a while before I can go back into a darkroom. But I've been through a lot worse. You've been acting like you're walking on eggshells since you came into my hospital room, like you think you'll say or do the wrong thing and scare me. But, newsflash: I'm not afraid of you. You're the person I'm least afraid of in this entire world. What I'm afraid of is not having you here with me right now."

Before I could even say anything in response, Aria pulled me in and kissed me with enough passion to light my apartment on fire. Without thinking, I pulled her closer by the middle of her back. She grunted and pulled back.

"Ow," she chuckled. "Just because I'm not scared of you doesn't mean I don't still have a giant bruise that covers a third of my back."

"Sorry," I said, kissing her nose. "And it's more like half your back. It's pretty frightening, actually."

"Really? That bad?"

"See for yourself."

I turned her around so her back was facing the mirror and pulled up the back of her shirt. I inhaled again; time had only made it worse. It looked like she'd laid down in a mixture of green and purple Easter egg dye.

"Oh, my God," she said, turning her head to look into the mirror. "Well, that's about how it feels. The painkillers are taking the edge off, but it still hurts like hell."

"How's your shoulder feel?" I asked. "You've got a pretty big bruise there too."

"I honestly didn't even realize there was anything there. I guess my arm and back hurt worse."

"Would ice help? I think I've got an ice pack or two in the freezer."

"It's worth a shot," she sighed. "I can always take it off if it makes it worse."

"Go lay back down. I've got it," I told her, giving her another kiss.

"Hey," she said quietly when I let her talk. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said, carefully pulling her close; she wrapped her arms around me and sighed again. "More than my own life. You have no idea how scared I was when I heard you were in the hospital today. I think I aged ten years in one minute."

"I know how scared I would have been if I'd been the one who got that call. So I can imagine. I'm sorry I put you through that."

"You have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault. Now, if I ever meet the pathetic excuse for a man who _put_ you in the hospital…"

She chuckled. "I hope you don't. I'm a starving college student. I can't afford to post your bail for a manslaughter charge."

"Oh, I wouldn't actually kill him," I told her. "But he'd need reconstructive surgery. And he'd have a much worse bruise on his back."

"Because bail for assault and battery is so much more affordable," Aria teased.

We both laughed as we walked out of the bathroom. Aria got back in bed, and despite saying that she didn't want to go back to sleep right now, she was out like a light within ten minutes. I'd taken hydrocodone for a broken arm years ago and it had always knocked me out cold, so I wasn't surprised. I got back in next to her, praying she'd rest peacefully, free from any nightmares of the horrors she'd endured today.


	8. Perspective

Chapter Eight  
 _Perspective_

 **Aria**

Ezra and I were halfway to St. Augustine when my phone rang. I missed the call because it was a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated trying to do things with only one and a half hands. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to manage taking my exams next week. Filling in Scantron bubbles with my left hand was going to be…interesting.

When I checked my phone, it was a Savannah number, but one that I didn't have in my phone. I figured it was probably someone at the school, so I called back.

"Richard Sawyer," a man answered.

"Hello, this is Aria Montgomery. You just called?" I said.

"Yes, Miss Montgomery, thank you for calling back. I was just in the middle of leaving you a message," he said. "I'm Mr. Sawyer, the head of the photography department."

Right. That was why his name had sounded familiar.

"Yes, hi," I said.

"I was calling for a couple of reasons. I wanted to say how sorry I am for what you went through. I hope you're doing okay?"

"Relatively," I sighed. "I will be."

Ezra reached over and squeezed my leg encouragingly. He looked so sad; I wished he would believe me when I said that I was just glad he was here. I knew he kind of did, but he seemed to think that I was in denial and that it was all going to suddenly come crashing down on me or something. But I wasn't in denial. I knew how close I'd come to getting raped, and yes, it freaked me the hell out. The thing was, though, I'd fought back. I'd gotten myself out of the situation. And I had some pretty incredible friends who refused to leave my side until my even more incredible fiancé got to the hospital.

"I'm so sorry," Mr. Sawyer said. "I called with good news though. More than one item, actually."

"Good news is welcome at this point," I told him. "What is it?"

"The first item is, in light of what's happened, exams for Mr. Thomas's classes have been cancelled. After what the recording you turned over to the police contained, we realized that we couldn't really trust any of the grades he'd entered. He may have done the same thing to other students' grades that he did to yours. So we are passing everyone in his classes. No one will receive a grade lower than a C."

"That is good news," I agreed.

"I personally looked at your final portfolio for that class, Miss Montgomery, and it is most certainly an A-quality portfolio. I will make sure your final grade reflects that."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Sawyer, but it's not necessary," I told him. I just wanted this to be over.

"It's the least I can do after you were assaulted by a professor in my department," he insisted. "And I actually wanted to talk to you about some of the photos in your portfolio."

"What about them?" I asked.

"Those self-portrait shots you did are incredible. I've never seen a student get so creative with them and do such revealing work. Your personality truly shows in those photos."

"Thank you."

"I'm an assistant editor for an educational photography journal, and with your permission, I would love to publish those photos in the journal and have you write a short explanation of your thought process when you were conceptualizing the shots."

I was floored. I was a freshman, and he wanted to publish my work? Really?

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I know you're recovering from your injuries now and preoccupied with exams, so maybe when you're feeling up to it over the break you could write a piece to go with the photos and we'll talk more about it when you come back next semester. I believe you're taking one of my classes. Intermediate Photography?"

"Yes, I am. I'll write something up and talk to you more about it when I see you after the break. Thank you. I'm honored."

"Thank _you_ ," he said. "I'll let you rest and recover. I look forward to meeting you in person next semester."

"Same here," I said. "Thanks again."

"What was that about?" Ezra asked when I hung up.

"Well, that was the head of the photography department. At least I don't have to worry about how I'm going to take one of my exams. Exams are cancelled for Mr. Thomas's class in light of what happened to me," I started.

"That makes sense. What are they doing about the students' grades?" he asked.

"No one is going to receive a grade lower than a C. After they heard him on recording trying to manipulate me with my grades, they realized they couldn't trust any of the failing grades he'd entered. But Mr. Sawyer personally looked at my portfolio and said that it's definitely A-quality work and my final grade will reflect that."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be recognized for how much work you put into that class."

"Um, speaking of recognition, I wasn't done," I chuckled. "Apparently Mr. Sawyer is an assistant editor for an educational photography journal and he was so impressed with my self-portraits that he wants to publish them and have me write an explanation to go with them."

The first real smile I'd seen since Wednesday night spread across Ezra's face. He was clearly proud. I was glad. I loved his smile, and it killed me that I had anything to do with the fact that I hadn't seen it lately.

"Babe, that's incredible," he said, grabbing my good hand (which luckily was the one closest to him) and kissing it.

"They say everything happens for a reason," I chuckled again. "I just wish my getting published for the first time wasn't the result of me getting assaulted by a professor."

And the smile disappeared again. I shouldn't have said that.

"At least something good is coming out of it," he sighed. "That's more than Alexis got."

"Is it too weird if I send her a message on Facebook telling her what happened? I think she'd want to know that he's not going to hurt anyone else," I said.

"No, it's not too weird," Ezra said. "You're right. I'm sure she'd want to hear that he's been arrested. But you should probably tell your family and friends before you tell her. I know it's not going to be easy, but they deserve to know."

I sighed; he was right and I knew it. I'd known it since yesterday. But I didn't know how to keep my parents from jumping on the first plane to Savannah. I didn't need to be coddled and smothered right now, and I knew they'd do that.

Ezra had been amazing. He'd been supportive and he'd gotten me out of town to avoid the media feeding frenzy that had resulted from this incident. He hadn't made me talk about it or tell him anything I didn't want to (not that I hadn't told him everything anyway). He hadn't been overbearing. I knew my parents, and even my brother, would be. I didn't want or need that right now.

"I know you're right," I told him. "But I just don't really need the coddling that's going to come with telling my parents right now. You've treated me like an adult through all of this. You've been caring and supportive, and you've given me space to work through this. And I know they won't. They'll treat me like I'm twelve again. I honestly don't know how I'm going to keep them from jumping on the first plane to Savannah. And that's not what I need."

"So tell them that's not what you need," Ezra suggested. "Tell them you have people here with you already, and that right before exams, you don't want or need them to come here right now."

"I'm sure they'll love hearing that," I chuckled. "'Ezra's here with me and I don't need you.' I can already hear my dad."

"Well, in all fairness, you're not a kid anymore," he countered. "Really, with everything you've been through in your life, you haven't been for a while. You know I've never seen you as a kid. You'll always be their little girl in some ways, and there's nothing you can do about that. But they do need to realize that you actually are an adult now. That somehow, when they weren't looking, you've grown into an incredibly strong, brave, and independent woman. They need to understand that you don't want or need them to rush to your side with a Band-Aid when you fall and scrape your knee anymore. That just because you're telling them about things that happen in your life, even the difficult things, it doesn't mean that you need them to tell you how to handle those things. And yes, that you have a fiancé here with you who loves you more than his own life and is going to do anything and everything in his power to help you through this. And that maybe, just maybe, his help is the help you need right now."

"That fiancé knows the English student in me is cringing hearing him refer to himself in the third person, right?" I teased.

There was the smile I loved so much. And I even got a laugh. Not just a little chuckle either. A real laugh.

"Yes, he does," Ezra said, still chuckling. "Seriously, though, even though your parents might not like hearing it, if you need to have the blunt conversation with them, have it. I had to do that with my mom when I moved to Rosewood so she'd stop trying to meddle in my life."

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath and dialing my dad's number. "Here goes nothing."

"Aria," my dad answered on the first ring. "Don't tell me you're going to miss Christmas too."

I chuckled weakly. "No, Ezra and I are still coming home for Christmas. Um, look, Dad, I need to tell you something. But Mom should hear it too. Can you hold on for a second? I'm going to try to get her on the line too so I only have to say it once."

I got my mom on the line and conferenced her into the call too. I took another deep breath and choked back some tears. Ezra reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

"I don't really know how to say this without just coming out and saying it," I started. "Um, do you guys remember me telling you about my photography professor, Mr. Thomas?"

"Yes, the one who didn't seem to realize you were engaged," my mom said.

"Ella," my dad sighed.

"Face it, Byron. Your daughter is engaged, and yes, she has a professor who doesn't seem to get that," my mom said, sounding frustrated with my dad.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he gets it now," I said, using every ounce of energy not to let my voice break.

"What do you mean, Aria? Did something happen?" my mom asked.

"I wouldn't have you two on a conference call if something hadn't happened," I pointed out. "God, I don't know how to say this."

Ezra squeezed my hand again and brought it up for a kiss.

"Aria, what happened?" my dad asked. "Did he hurt you?"

Well, my dad had done the hard part for me.

"Yeah, he did," I said, a few tears escaping. Damn. I didn't want them to hear me cry.

"Did he…?" My dad couldn't even bring himself to ask the question he wanted to ask. I guessed he almost didn't want to know.

"Byron, don't push her," my mom scolded. "Give her a minute."

I noticed Ezra taking a random exit. I didn't even pay attention to where he was going. I was too focused on trying to get this out. I took a few deep breaths and steeled myself, squeezing Ezra's hand for support. It was only a few sentences. I could do this.

"He tried to rape me, but I fought him off," I said, more tears coming. Now I'd done the hard part. It was all downhill from here. "It happened in the darkroom, and he threw me against a solid steel developing table twice. I've got some bruised vertebrae and a huge ugly bruise on my back. And my right arm ended up in the developing chemicals. I've got second degree chemical burns from my elbow all the way down to my pinky and ring fingers. There's a huge gauze wrap and ointment on it right now."

While I was talking, Ezra pulled into a random parking lot and parked the car away from any other vehicles. He got out and walked around to my side of the car, opening the door and holding out his hand, indicating that he wanted me to get out. I did, and he just opened the door to the backseat. Confused, I got in. He closed that door behind me and walked around to the other side, getting in next to me. Then I figured out what he was doing. He carefully pulled me into his arms, trying to avoid hurting my back any more, and held me tight, kissing my hair.

My parents were silent on the other end of the phone, like neither of them had any idea what to say.

"Mom, Dad, say something. Please," I said after a minute of painfully awkward silence.

"I don't really know what _to_ say, sweetie," my mom said. "Tell us the truth. Are you okay? Do you need us to come there?"

"I'll be okay," I said truthfully, choking back a fresh round of tears. I wasn't quite at okay yet, but I was getting there. "I don't need you to come here. I'm actually not even in Savannah right now. Ezra's taking me out of town for the weekend. They ended up arresting Mr. Thomas after a search of his computer revealed video he'd recorded of himself assaulting over a dozen students. Becca was dodging reporters all day yesterday because word got around that she was my roommate and they were trying to find me to interview me. I don't want any part of that."

"Yeah, I'd definitely rather see your name in print for something positive," my dad agreed. "Are you sure you're okay, Aria?"

"I will be," I repeated. "And you just might get your wish, Dad. Um, the head of the photography department looked at my final portfolio himself because Mr. Thomas had tried to hold the grade over my head, and he actually wants to publish those self-portrait pictures I did and have me write a piece to go with them. He's an assistant editor for an educational photography journal."

"That's amazing, honey," my mom said. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks," I sniffled. "Look, I wanted to tell you guys, but I'm going to let you go now, okay? I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

"I don't imagine you do," my dad said. "If you change your mind, just let us know, okay? We'll be on the first plane there."

"I appreciate that, Dad, but I'll be home in a week and a half anyway. I'll be fine until then. I've got Ezra here, not to mention some pretty amazing friends who refused to leave my side at the hospital until he got there yesterday."

"I'm glad he's there with you," my mom said, and I could almost see her smiling. "How's he taking this?"

I smiled a little. "About as well as can be expected. But he's taking good care of me. Hasn't let me lift even one of my eight good fingers since he got to the hospital."

Ezra chuckled a little and kissed my hair as he squeezed me a little tighter. I choked back more tears. I could cry as soon as I got off the phone with my parents. I realized that was why he'd pulled over. He wanted to be able to hold me during the inevitable tears that he'd known were going to follow this phone call.

"Good, I'm glad," my mom said. "We'll let you go. Rest up this weekend, sweetie. Even though you're going on a trip."

"I will. The reason we're going is because being away will actually be more relaxing than being in Savannah right now," I told her. "I'll see you soon, Mom. I love you both."

"We love you too," my dad said.

I hung up and let the tears I'd been holding back break free. That was the first time I'd said the words "he tried to rape me" out loud. God, that was hard. It was like admitting it to myself too. Ezra just held me and let me cry into his shoulder and completely ruin his shirt for almost an hour, occasionally kissing my hair or my forehead.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's okay. You're okay. I've got you. You're okay."

That just made me cry even more. He was being so amazingly sweet and supportive. I had no idea what good deed I'd done in a past life to deserve someone this incredible. But I didn't know what I would have done without him during these past twenty-four hours.

"That was the first time I've actually said it out loud," I said when I'd finally stopped crying.

"I know," he said. "You did great, though. You told them what happened and you stood your ground and kept them from getting on a plane. So, you ready to do that four more times with your friends?"

I chuckled tensely. "You mean I can't text them?"

"Would you want to hear that Spencer or Hanna had been assaulted in a text?" Ezra asked.

Damn. He was right. I had to call them. I owed them that. I was surprised when every single one of them answered. Not one of them was in a class. Or if they were, they ran out of the class to answer the phone. It was a little easier talking to them than it had been talking to my parents. They were all understandably concerned and glad Ezra was here with me, and they all told me I was getting a huge hug when they saw me over the break. I also realized I should tell my brother myself, not wait for my parents to tell him. So I called him too. And he wanted to jump on a plane and kick Mr. Thomas's ass, and promised me another huge hug when I got there for Christmas.

I just sat there in the safety and comfort of Ezra's arms for a while after I hung up with Mike. He didn't say anything. I could tell he would sit here with me all day if he had to. He wasn't going anywhere until I was ready. And part of me wanted to just stay here forever. But my back was starting to hurt being in this car. I needed to get to a bed and lie down for a while. Which meant we needed to get back on the road.

"As much as I really want to just sit like this all day, my back is starting to hurt," I sighed.

"Do you need a pain pill?" Ezra asked.

"No," I said stubbornly. "I don't want to fall asleep."

"You do realize you're _supposed_ to be resting, right?" he teased.

"I can rest without sleeping," I insisted. "And I'll be damned if I'm going to spend this whole trip in a drug-induced slumber."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Which is why I also brought ibuprofen."

I smiled. "Now that, I will take. And now that I've gotten the obligatory phone calls out of the way, I'm going to study for a while. I do still have finals on Monday."

"Okay," he said, giving me a kiss before getting out of the car and going to grab the ibuprofen out of the bag in the trunk.

As Ezra was rummaging around in the bag, his phone rang. He checked the number and answered it.

"Alexis," he said. "Aria was just getting ready to send you a message."

There was a pause as Alexis spoke.

"No, he didn't," he said. "Damn. Maybe she should have talked to the reporters. Set the record straight. Good thing she already talked to her family and friends back home."

Great. Apparently the media had a field day with this story and because I didn't want to talk to them, they didn't bother to check their facts before broadcasting information. So now, according to the papers, apparently he actually had raped me. That was just perfect.

"Wait, did they actually use her name? Or did you figure that part out on your own?" Ezra asked.

Another pause as I waited with bated breath for his response.

"Okay, well at least that's something. I get the feeling the entire campus knows who she is now anyway, but at least her name's not on the news or in the paper."

Well, thank goodness for that. Another pause.

"She's in a lot of pain and she's still processing everything, but she'll be okay. She's pretty tough. She's been through a lot in her life already. Not quite like this, but still. But with the media nightmare, I'm glad I decided to get her out of town for a few days," he said.

Another pause. Well if it was as bad as it sounded from just hearing his side of the conversation, I was glad he'd gotten me out of town too.

"Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks for calling, Alexis. Bye."

I got out of the car and walked around to where Ezra was still standing.

"So I take it the journalists didn't bother to check their facts before printing their story?" I asked.

Ezra chuckled tensely. "Nope. Apparently to hear them tell it, you're hanging on for dear life and he actually did…" He trailed off, not bothering to finish his thought.

I leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair. God, what was it about that four-letter word that made it so hard to say out loud?

"Well, I'm glad you thought to take me away from all of that for a couple days," I said.

"Me too," he agreed, kissing my head again. "Alexis said to tell you that if you need to talk to someone who's been through this before, you can call her. And that if this goes to trial, she'll testify even if it is too late to charge him with what he did to her."

I smiled. It was amazing that almost overnight she'd become more than just an acquaintance. She had become a true friend. I hoped they could charge him for her rape too. He deserved to spend the rest of his life in a cell for what he'd done to me and her and the rest of those poor girls.

"I hope it's not too late for her," I said. "She deserves justice too. All the girls he assaulted deserve it."

"Do you ever think of yourself?" Ezra asked.

"Sometimes I do," I said, smiling. "But this isn't just about me. This is about all the people he's hurt. They all deserve justice. They deserve to know that he's going to rot in prison for what he did to them."

"You're right," he said. "It is about everyone he's hurt. But you're allowed to think about yourself too. You're allowed to be upset about what you went through."

"What do you call the waterworks you just witnessed for the better part of an hour?" I asked. "I am upset and I am processing what happened. But he didn't break me. If Charlotte and Mona and Shana didn't break me, Mr. Thomas doesn't get to. I'm not giving him that kind of power over me."

Ezra just shook his head, like he was completely astounded at what I'd just told him.

"What?" I asked.

"You're incredible," he chuckled. "You amaze and surprise me every day. Did you know that?"

I chuckled a little too. "Back at you. Now, are you actually going to let me take that ibuprofen or are you just going to taunt me with the bottle?"

He laughed and handed it to me. "Keep that up and I'll give you the hydrocodone just to shut you up."

"Wow," I laughed as I took a few pills, glad to see him at least somewhat back to his old self.

 **Ezra**

Aria and I got to St. Augustine a little later than we'd planned on, but there was still daylight left. As soon as we checked into our room, we dropped the bag and were getting ready to head back out just to walk around a little.

"I kind of wish I'd brought my camera," Aria sighed. "There's definitely plenty of new and different subject matter here."

I smiled, glad to see her actually wanting to take pictures again, as I pulled her old camera out of the bag. When I was packing I'd realized I still had it from when she'd left it at my apartment after I gave her the new camera as an anniversary gift. I'd charged it and brought it just in case Aria wanted a camera.

"This isn't as good as the other one, but I hope it'll suffice," I said, handing it to her.

Aria laughed. "Wait, how did you have this?"

"After I gave you your other camera, you left that one at the apartment. I put it somewhere for safekeeping and kept meaning to give it back to you but always forgot. I remembered when I was packing that I had it. So I charged it up and threw it in the bag in case you wanted a camera. It's yours anyway. You might as well have it back."

"I have mentioned lately that I love you, right?" she giggled.

"Maybe once or twice," I teased as I kissed her.

An hour or so later, as we sat on a wall outside the Castillo de San Marcos (an old fort that was right downtown) watching the sunset, I was overwhelmed by a ton of feelings that I didn't know what to do with. I looked over at my fiancée, who seemed completely happy, like she didn't have a care in the world. Like she hadn't escaped being raped by the skin of her teeth yesterday. God, she amazed me. She was so strong. Stronger than I'd ever be. It was one of the infinite number of things I loved about her.

"I love you," I said quietly, barely audible over the crashing waves.

"I love you too," she murmured, swinging her feet up onto the wall and leaning back against me.

I carefully pulled her onto my lap, trying my best to avoid jarring her back. I could tell she was hurting, but that she didn't want to get up just yet. She immediately leaned against my shoulder and sighed happily. I kissed her forehead and squeezed her a little tighter.

As we sat there in comfortable silence, my mind wouldn't stop going at a million miles an hour. I just couldn't get past what had happened to her yesterday. And as I tried to process my feelings about it, I kept coming back to one thing. I realized that I knew exactly how Jacob had felt after Alexis went through this. He'd said that experience made him not want to wait to marry her anymore. And I felt the same way. This whole mess made me never want to let Aria out of my sight again. I wasn't going to turn into the paranoid nut who never let the woman in his life go anywhere or do anything without him, but I sat there trying to remember my reasoning for waiting to get married. It had made sense to me at the time. Hell, it had even made sense yesterday morning. But now? For the life of me, I couldn't remember a single reason why I had thought it was so damn important.

I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Aria. I'd known that two months into our relationship, and I still knew that now. There would never be a day in my life when I didn't feel like this about her. So, in a split second, I made an impulse decision, but it was a decision I knew I'd never regret as long as I lived.

"Marry me," I whispered right into her ear, kissing her temple.

Aria chuckled quietly. "We already did this. Back in May. Remember? I said yes."

"I mean it," I told her. "I'm not talking about marrying me some day years from now. I'm talking about now. Not right this second, but soon."

"How soon are you talking? Like, next week? Next month?"

That was a fair question. If it had been me, I would have happily eloped over the holiday break. But that wouldn't be fair to Aria. It was her wedding too, and if I had anything to say about it, the only one she would ever have. I was sure that, just like any other girl with a pulse, she had a vision in her mind of how she wanted her wedding that had probably been there since middle school. I wanted her to look back on our wedding day with no regrets. So we needed to do this right. I needed to make sure she'd have the wedding she'd dreamed about since she was a kid.

"Maybe over the summer?" I said. "In Rosewood, so your friends and family can be there. I'm sure your friends here will make the trip."

"Okay," she said immediately.

Well, that hadn't taken a lot of convincing.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I would have married you before we even moved to Savannah if you'd wanted. There's no amount of time that's going to change how I feel about you. But I do need to ask you something," she said.

"Anything."

"Why the sudden urge to get married right away? Last we talked about this, you were dead set on waiting until I could legally drink at our wedding."

I sighed. I had to tell her. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but it was a fair question and she needed to know.

"I don't understand how you're not more shaken by what happened yesterday," I started.

"Ezra, not now. Not here."

"I'm not trying to get you to talk about it," I assured her. "I'll never make you talk about anything you don't want to. But you asked me what made me change my mind about waiting. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am shaken by it. I wasn't kidding when I told you I think I aged ten years in one minute when I heard you were in the hospital. And when I think about how easily this could have been so much worse, it makes me not want to let you out of my sight. I'm not going to turn into that guy who never lets you go anywhere or do anything without me, but this made me stop and think. I moved to Savannah because I want a life with you. I would assume you said yes when I asked you to marry me because you want a life with me. So why not start living it? What's stopping us?"

Aria smiled as she sat up a little straighter and kissed me.

"Nothing," she said. "There's nothing stopping us. Well, maybe my dad."

We both laughed and I kissed her again.

"We'll explain it to your parents when we go back for Christmas," I said, still chuckling. That would definitely be an interesting conversation.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to let you do the talking this time," she giggled. "I already had one awkward conversation about getting married with them."

"Have you forgotten the part where I asked them for permission to marry you? _That_ was an awkward conversation," I teased.

"I still can't believe you actually did that. Weren't you even a little worried that my dad would just sock you in the jaw?" she chuckled.

"Maybe a little. But you know I'm a hopeless romantic. I had to make sure I did this the right way and that your parents were okay with it."

"You _are_ a hopeless romantic," she agreed, giving me another kiss. "And it's one of the things I love the most about you."

"Well, I hope you still feel that way in about two minutes," I said, moving her off my lap so I could stand up, and then helping her up too. "Because I'm about to embarrass both of us and do something you'll probably find completely unnecessary and ridiculous."

"I think I'm a little scared now," she teased.

I laughed a little as I got down on one knee. Partially at her jab but mostly because even I knew this was over-the-top. But after everything we'd both been through in the past two days, I felt like a little bit of over-the-top, unnecessary, and, yes, possibly even ridiculous romance was in order.

"Aria, will you marry me?" I asked. "Not someday. Not years from now. Will you marry me now? Will you start living this life we keep talking about having together with me now?"

Aria bent down to kiss me. "Yes. Yes, Ezra, I will marry you now. If I don't have you committed for doing that first. You do know you're crazy, right?"

That did it. I started laughing as I stood back up and kissed her again. I had to consciously stop myself from picking her up like I always did when I was this happy because I knew that wouldn't be good on her back. I didn't even know why her saying yes right now had elated me this much. She'd already said yes seven months ago. She'd even said yes ten minutes ago.

Maybe it was the knowledge that Aria was literally the only person I could do crazy and ridiculous things like that with. I was my absolute best self with her, and I was completely comfortable letting my guard down around her. She was the only person I'd ever felt this way with. And now I had the knowledge that I'd never have to stop feeling this way. Because we would be together for the rest of our lives. No matter what curveballs life threw us, our love could survive them. Our love could survive anything. If the past forty-eight hours had shown me anything, it was that.

"I love you so much," I said quietly when I finally broke the kiss.

"I love you too," she said, kissing me one more time. "More than anything."

"Okay, are you ready to get out of here? I think it's dropped fifteen degrees in the past ten minutes."

"Yeah," she chuckled. "It's freezing. And I need to go lie back down. I was an idiot for sitting on that wall. My back is killing me and the cold is making it worse. How can Florida even get this cold?"

"Are you okay to walk back to the hotel? Do you need me to go get the car?" I asked.

"No, I can walk," Aria assured me. "It's only a few blocks. My spine is bruised, not broken."

After I went and got dinner and brought it back to the room so Aria didn't have to do any more walking, I suddenly realized we hadn't changed her bandage all day. I was glad to see that her arm looked a little better today; the ointment was definitely working. But still, we needed to be better about doing this regularly.

"I should set an alarm on my cell phone or something to remind us to do this," I muttered, half to myself.

"It's my fault as much as yours," Aria said. "I forgot about it too."

"I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of you," I insisted.

"I'm not completely helpless. Though I do need help with this. Still, I think I can manage setting an alarm on _my_ phone to remind us to do this every eight hours."

"And now that we've done it, let's get your arm wrapped up in about four layers of plastic so you can shower," I chuckled. "Probably should have done that first."

"Or I could just take a bath and not let my arm get wet," she chuckled too. "Because you apparently think you have something to prove, you booked this suite with the Jacuzzi tub. Seems a pity to let it go to waste. You're welcome to join me."

"You sure?" I asked, a little shocked. We both knew where that bath would inevitably lead, and I wasn't sure if she was ready for it so soon after…well, everything.

Aria struggled a little as she stood up from where she'd been sitting on the edge of the tub and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I'm not afraid of you?" she said, sounding a little exasperated. "And that this didn't completely cripple me? Yes, if I stop to really think about it, it freaks me out. I know how close a call it was. I know that if he'd thrown me against that table just a little harder, I would have been too hurt to fight back. But I _did_ fight back. And it _wasn't_ worse. I survived it. But I'm not thinking about any of that right now. Right now, I'm thinking about how happy I am about the fact that you've decided you don't want to wait to get married anymore. That we're actually going to start living the life we've been talking about since before we even moved to Savannah. Regardless of why you arrived at that decision, I'm still happier than I've ever been. And I want to share that with you, without any baggage attached. Can you manage that?"

I just kissed her in response. I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Good answer," she said when I let her talk.

"If you change your mind, no matter when, just say the word," I told her, stroking her face. "You don't have to prove anything to me. Okay?"

Aria nodded and kissed me again, and suddenly there was nothing else in the world but the two of us. Nothing mattered except for the fact that she was safe, though maybe a little worse for wear, and we were going to get to spend the rest of our lives together.


	9. Breaking the News

Chapter Nine  
 _Breaking the News_

 **Aria**

"You sure you're okay?" Ezra asked as he dropped me off at school.

"Yes," I chuckled. "I'll be fine. I'm just grabbing my school stuff and some more clothes. I'll see you in an hour or so."

"Okay," he sighed.

"Ezra, I'm okay. Becca can help me get stuff to my car and I'm fine to drive. It's not like I'm driving back to Rosewood. It's a fifteen-minute drive across town. I'll live," I promised.

He just nodded, looking like he wasn't entirely convinced. I kissed him goodbye and got out of the car. I was staying with him until we left to go back to Rosewood for the holiday. It was partially for my benefit because I'd need help with stuff like changing the bandage on my arm and because his bed was a lot more comfortable than the sack of sawdust in the dorm room. But mostly it was for his benefit. What Mr. Thomas had done to me had thrown him for a loop, big time. He didn't want to let me out of his sight any more than he had to. While I thought it was a little much, I knew he was coming from a good place. And that he'd calm down after some time had passed. This weekend had helped a little, but he still wasn't entirely convinced that I really was okay. So I hadn't pushed back when he had asked me to stay with him.

"Aria," Becca said as she gave me a hug the second I walked in the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm getting there," I said truthfully. "Ezra took me out of town for the weekend and that actually really helped. I am going to stay with him this week though. I think he's having a tougher time than I am, and I can't change this bandage on my arm by myself. Besides, his bed is a lot more comfortable than the one here is. And my back still hurts like hell."

Becca chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd end up staying with him through the break. I got all your textbooks and binders packed up for you."

I smiled. "You're the best. Thank you. I just need to grab some more clothes then. And my camera. I don't really want to leave it here unattended."

"That's understandable," she said as she went to grab a duffel bag from the bottom of the closet. "Here. I imagine bending over doesn't feel so great right now."

"Nope," I chuckled as I started packing. "Definitely not."

"So where did you go over the weekend?"

"St. Augustine, Florida. Just a few hours south of here."

"My parents took us to Disney once and we stopped there for a couple days. I remember loving it."

"Yeah, I loved it too," I said.

Friday night had been one of the best nights of my whole life. Really, this whole weekend had been incredible. Ezra had managed to turn what could easily have been some of the worst days of my entire life into some of the best days of my life. He seemed to have a knack for that.

"Okay, what gives?" Becca asked. "Going out of town after getting assaulted by a professor should not lead to that smile."

"You know, between you and Ezra, I can't have any secrets at all," I giggled. "You're both creepily good at reading me."

"So, spill. What's up with your smile?"

"Um...well, we talked this weekend. And he said that what happened to me made him not want to wait anymore. So, unless my parents kill him when we talk to them over the break, it looks like we're getting married this summer."

Becca jumped up and hugged me too tight. She was clearly thrilled at this news.

"Ow!" I laughed. "Remember, bruised spine?"

"Sorry," she giggled. "But I'm so happy for you. Hopefully I'm invited."

I laughed. "Invited? You're going to be up there with me."

"Seriously?" she asked, sounding completely surprised.

"Why is that such a shock?" I asked. "You're one of my best friends. I can't imagine getting married without you there."

"Even though you haven't actually asked me to be a bridesmaid yet, I'm honored," she said, hugging me again.

"Do me a favor and don't say anything to Jordan or Kendra, okay?" I asked. "I want to tell them myself."

"I won't," she promised. "It's not my place anyway. You're the one who's getting hitched. Now, I hate to ruin the mood, but I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Um, apparently Mr. Thomas didn't take a deal. Your case is going to trial, along with all the rest of the charges against him. He's being represented by one of the best defense attorneys in the state. The police came here looking for you after they went to Ezra's and you weren't there. Asked me to have you call them."

"Why didn't they call me themselves?" I wondered aloud. "My phone was on all weekend."

"I asked them not to. When they said you weren't at Ezra's, I figured you'd probably gone somewhere to decompress. I told them I'd have you call them when you got back. Here's the number."

"Yeah, I'll call tomorrow after exams," I sighed. "God, I've seen way too many courtrooms in my life. I was hoping to avoid another one."

"What do you mean?" Becca asked.

"I don't want to talk about it, but just Google my name and Rosewood, Pennsylvania. There's a few different newspaper articles and some news footage that'll come up. I'll answer any questions you have, but I just don't have the energy to tell you everything right now."

"Okay," she said. "I'm not going to Google anything though. You can tell me when and if you want to."

"It's not that I don't trust you," I promised. "I do. I want to tell you. I'm just too tired and I'm still processing this. I can't go back to that place right now."

"I know," Becca told me. "And it's okay. You take all the time you need. Just know I'm here and when you're ready to talk about anything, I'm ready to listen. I'm not going to judge you and I'm not going to push you to tell me anything you don't want to."

How had I gotten this lucky? I had some incredible friends here in Savannah. Friends who didn't judge me and didn't push me to tell them anything I didn't want to tell them. And I had the world's most amazing fiancé. And it was for real now. We were actually getting married. Despite most likely having to testify at Mr. Thomas's trial, my life was pretty great right now.

"Thanks, Becks," I said. "I hate to be this person, but I'm tired and still in pain. Can you help me get my stuff down to my car so I can get back to Ezra's?"

"Yeah, of course," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch after Psych before you take your English exam?"

"I'd like that," I said, smiling.

It seemed like Ezra had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders the second he saw me in his parking lot. He'd literally stayed in his car and waited for me. Hadn't even bothered to go upstairs. And he just stood there in the freezing cold holding me tight for a few minutes before taking my bags out of my car and going inside.

"So, apparently Mr. Thomas didn't take a deal," I said as I sat down on the couch. "The case is going to trial. I guess the police came here and to the school looking for me. Becca told them I'd gone somewhere for a few days and asked them to let me call them back when I got back. I have to call them after my Psych exam tomorrow."

"And here I was hoping we might avoid another courtroom," Ezra sighed as he sat down and handed me a cup of hot cocoa. It was too late for coffee, but we needed something to help us thaw out. It was below freezing outside.

I had to smile at the word "we." It wasn't even a question. Ezra was going to be in that courtroom with me. But it worried me. He'd already missed several days of work because of me. I wasn't sure how the principal would feel about him taking time off to go to the trial.

"I know. Me too," I told him. "But I'm kind of glad the other girls get a shot at justice too. Rather than him accepting a plea bargain and being out of jail in a few years. I just wish I didn't have to testify. I hated testifying at Charlotte's trial."

"You'll be fine," he assured me. "All you have to do is tell the truth. He can't hurt you anymore. And you know you're not going to be alone in there, right?"

"I know. But just promise me that if it's between going with me to the trial and keeping your job, you'll keep your job. Jordan is going to have to testify too, so I won't be alone either way. Okay?"

"Aria—"

"Promise me," I cut him off. "I want you there and it means the world to me that you're being so supportive, but I'm not going to let you lose your job over me again. Do you know how awful I felt when my dad got you fired from Hollis? Not just because I thought I was going to lose you. Because I felt responsible. I'm not going to let that happen again if I can help it."

Ezra smiled. "Okay, I promise. But you realize I knew what was going to happen from the second I turned down that job in New Orleans, right? That was my decision."

"Which I pushed you into."

"Maybe," he chuckled, pulling me into his lap. "But I still have no regrets. Because I meant I got to keep you. Is it weird if I say the night I got fired was one of the best of my life?"

I smiled and kissed him. I knew why he'd said that. And I was right there with him. It was one of the worst nights of my life because I'd thought I was going to lose him. But it was the first time we'd slept together, and that made it one of the best nights of my life. I'd never realized it ranked so high with him though.

"No, it's not weird," I said. "Me too."

He kissed me again and squeezed me too tight. I winced and pulled back.

"Sorry," he said immediately.

"You and Becca tonight," I teased. "You both seem to have forgotten that my spine is bruised. I'm all for hugs, but seriously."

Ezra chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose. "I take it you told her, then?"

"I wasn't going to until we told my family, but I forgot that your mind-reading skills seem to have rubbed off on her," I said. "She knew I was keeping something from her within two minutes. Which means I give Jordan about five minutes."

"Five? You're being generous. I give her three minutes," he teased.

I laughed. "Okay, look, let's get my arm wrapped up. I need to take a shower and get to bed. I do have two exams tomorrow. They're the easy ones, but still."

"And I'm going to be bored out of my skull all day administering mid-terms," he chuckled. "Which means I'll probably be trying to find affordable wedding venues in Rosewood. We do kind of need to book one soon."

"Don't you think you're putting the cart before the horse, doing that before we even talk to my parents?" I chuckled.

"No," Ezra said. "Frankly, talking to them is just a courtesy. While I'd like their blessing for your sake, I'm good doing this with or without their approval."

"So am I," I agreed. "Though it would be nice if they were on board with it."

 **Ezra**

Aria looked like she would have rather been just about anywhere other than on her parents' front doorstep a week later. While I couldn't necessarily say I blamed her, it was doing nothing for my already shaky nerves. It would be the first time she'd seen them since everything happened. And we were (well, I was) about to have a pretty uncomfortable conversation with them. We'd talked about this on the way here and agreed to just get it out of the way on the first day. Then we wouldn't be trying to hide it for the whole trip, and we could actually try to do things like put a deposit down on a venue while we were here. Might as well take advantage of the three weeks we had here in Rosewood.

"You ready for this?" I asked.

"No," she sighed. "But I don't have a choice. Let's do it."

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Her mother answered within thirty seconds, which I thought was strange since she didn't live there. But then, she'd known we were coming today. And it made things easier for me and Aria, not having to have the same conversation twice.

"Aria," Ella said, giving her daughter a hug. I could tell before Aria even said anything that it was way too tight. Her back was still on the mend.

"Ow, Mom," Aria said, backing up and wincing a little. "Take it easy. My spine is still bruised."

"Sorry, sweetie. How are you other than that?"

"I'm good," she said. "See, my arm's pretty much healed. Still kind of hurts but I'm just glad I got to stop using the gauze wraps a few days ago. Taking exams with my left hand was awful."

Ella chuckled, then turned to me and gave me a hug. "And how are you holding up, Ezra?"

"I've been worse," I said. "Just glad Aria's on the mend."

"Well, come on in, guys," she said. "Coffee's fresh."

"It's like you don't know us at all, Mom," Aria teased, chuckling. "Where's Dad and Mike?"

"Digging the Christmas tree and decorations out of the basement. Figured you guys could help us decorate today."

"Us?" Aria asked as she poured two mugs of coffee.

"Yeah, I moved back in," Ella said. "What that means for your father and I, I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm back here. The lease on my apartment was up last month and they were going to almost double the rent. It was your father's idea that I come back and live in the guest room."

"Well, if you guys are getting along without wanting to kill each other, I think it's great," Aria told her.

"So far, so good," she said. "I'm going to go make sure they're not trapped under boxes or something. They've been down there almost twenty minutes."

As soon as Ella left the room, Aria turned to me and handed me one of the coffees she'd just poured.

"And she couldn't tell me that over the phone because?" she chuckled.

I chuckled a little too. "Beats me. Makes it easier for me though. I only have to have one awkward conversation instead of two."

"I can handle telling my mom as long as you talk to my dad," Aria said.

"Great. Give me the hard job," I teased.

"Honestly, I think he'll understand. If you talk to him one-on-one and explain yourself, he'll see where you're coming from. Maybe."

"Or maybe I'll walk out of here with a black eye and a broken jaw."

"No, that'll happen when you tell my brother," she giggled.

"Tell me what?" Mike asked as he walked into the kitchen and came to give his sister a hug. "Hey, Aria. You okay?"

"Getting there," she said. "Maybe about seventy-five percent."

"Good. I'm glad. Mom told me the case is going to trial."

"Yeah," Aria sighed. "I have to start prepping to testify when I get back. Not looking forward to that. Can we talk about something else? I don't want to spend the entire holiday talking about my photography professor."

"Sure," he said. "We can talk about whatever you guys were going to tell me that's going to make me punch Ezra in the face."

"Um…I think we should tell Mom and Dad first. Can you be patient for a couple hours? And if it's all the same to you, I would really appreciate it if my fiancé left here with his face intact today."

"Thanks for that, babe," I chuckled, kissing her head.

"No promises," he teased. "Seriously, though, I can keep a secret. Tell me."

"And what happens when they walk back in here while we're in the middle of the conversation?" she countered. "Not happening."

"Damn you and your logic," Mike laughed. "No wonder you're maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Do you even have a life in Savannah?"

"Yes, I have a life," Aria chuckled. "Sometimes it revolves around keeping my grades up so I can keep my scholarship, but I have a life. And I have fun."

"Hopefully not too much fun," Byron said as he came into the kitchen.

"What's that supposed to mean, Dad?" Aria said as she hugged him. "I like to think I'm a pretty responsible person."

"No, you are," he agreed. "You doing okay, kiddo?"

"Getting there," she sighed. I got the feeling she was getting tired of saying that.

Hopefully her entire extended family hadn't heard about this too. Otherwise she'd be spending all day on Christmas telling everyone that she was okay, but still on the mend. Though hopefully we'd have some happier news to share with them on Christmas.

"How are you holding up, Ezra?" Byron asked as he gave me a somewhat reluctant hug.

"I'm good," I told him.

"I don't think I've ever been gladder that you were down there with Aria than I was a week and a half ago," he said. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"You don't need to thank me," I told him. "I've never been surer of my decision to move down there with her than I was that day. It's where I'm supposed to be. Look, do you think we can find some time to talk later? Alone?"

Considering that my stomach was already in a knot and we weren't even talking about this yet, I was surprised at how calm I'd sounded.

"Of course," he said. "But first, want to give me a hand putting this tree together?"

"Absolutely. Put me to work."

"I think Mike's glad you're here now, Ezra," Aria laughed. "That's usually his job."

"Which I will happily relinquish," Mike chuckled. "You two have fun with that."

A couple of hours later, the house was decorated and the tree was trimmed. And now it finally felt like Christmas. This was going to be the second Christmas in a row that I hadn't spent with my family, and I couldn't have been happier about it. My family had always gone overboard for Christmas, but it felt like a show. It was never this warm and genuine. The more I got to know my future in-laws and the more they accepted me into their family, the more I liked them.

"Ezra, you wanted to talk?" Byron asked me when we were done.

Aria looked at me, I guessed trying to determine if I was okay to do this by myself. Part of me did want her with me for moral support, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. This conversation needed to be one-on-one. I took a deep breath.

"Yeah," I said. "Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"

"Sure," he said. "My office is right there. Top off your coffee and come on in."

Aria followed me to the kitchen.

"You okay?" she asked me.

I smiled. "I'm good. Having a little trouble breathing, but I'm good."

"Do you want me in there with you?"

"No," I told her. "I mean, I do, but I think you're right. I need to do this myself. Besides, you have to talk to your mom and your brother. Seems like your dad and I just gave you an opening."

"That you did," she said, giving me a kiss. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I chuckled, and turned to join her father in his office.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Byron asked as he shut the door and went to sit down on the couch next to me.

I took a deep breath and turned to face him. I tried to figure out where to start, and I decided just to go for it.

"Look," I started. "When I got the call at work that Aria was in the hospital, I think I aged ten years in one minute. I'd found out literally two days before that the same professor who hurt her had…well, actually succeeded in his attempts with other students. I'd met one of the students, the daughter of one of my colleagues, and she'd talked to Aria the day before she was assaulted. But despite Aria trying everything to make sure she didn't end up in a position where he could hurt her, he managed to get her into the position anyway. I literally have no words to describe how terrified I was that the same thing had happened to her. I've never been so glad that she and I broke up and she dated Jake for that month than I was that day when I found out that she was able to fight him off."

"I can imagine," he said.

"I've kind of gone off on a tangent," I chuckled nervously. "I guess my point is, what happened made me not want to let Aria out of my sight ever again. And I'm not going to turn into that paranoid nut who never lets her go anywhere or do anything without me, but it did make me stop and think."

"And you don't want to wait to get married anymore," he finished for me.

I sighed. "No. I don't. And I'd like to get your blessing."

"As long as Aria promises to finish school and keep her grades up, you have it," Byron said, squeezing my shoulder. "I had a feeling this was what you wanted to talk about. Because if it was me, I'd feel exactly the same way."

"I promise, I will make sure she finishes school and keeps her grades up," I told him. "There's nothing I want more. I'm more than happy to support her for the next three years so she doesn't have to work and go to school at the same time or take out more student loans than necessary. It'll be my debt to pay off, too, and I'd like to minimize it as much as possible. I'm still paying off my own student loans too."

He chuckled. "In that case, you have my full support and blessing to marry my daughter. I appreciate your courage in asking me. Especially given our history."

I laughed a little. "Thank you."

"So, are we going to be attending a shotgun wedding while you're here?"

"No," I laughed. "That wouldn't be fair to Aria. We were thinking of having the wedding here in Rosewood over the summer. So you and her friends can be there. Easier for us to fly her few close friends from college here than for everyone to come to us down there."

"That sounds perfect. And Ella and I are more than willing to help however we can. I hope you don't mind me talking to Aria in private for a minute, though."

"Of course not. She's your daughter," I said as I got up and headed to the door. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Do you mind sending her in here?" Byron asked when I opened the door.

"Not at all," I told him, and headed to the living room.

Aria looked at me quizzically when I walked into the room, as did her mother and brother. I guessed they were all trying to figure out how the conversation had gone, and my face wasn't giving anything away. I wasn't purposely trying to hide anything, but I also didn't want to say anything to Aria before her dad had a chance to talk to her.

"He wants to talk to you for a minute," I told Aria, kissing the top of her head as I sat down.

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

"If I survived talking to him, I think you'll be fine," I said as she stood up.

Aria looked a little like she thought she was heading to her execution as she walked into her father's office. And as soon as the door shut, Ella turned to me.

"Well?" she asked. "How did it go?"

I sighed. "As long as Aria promises to finish school, he's good with having a wedding here this summer. And there is nothing I want more than for her to finish school and keep her grades up. I'll make sure it happens. He said he had a feeling that was what I wanted to talk to him about, because if it was him he would have felt the same way."

"So you look like someone just ran over your puppy because? This is not the face of a man who's getting married this summer."

I smiled and chuckled a little. "I just didn't want to say anything to Aria before her father had a chance to talk to her."

"Well, I think Mike is a little too excited about writing the world's most embarrassing toast," Ella said, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

I laughed. "Now that, I am very much looking forward to. If Aria lets him anywhere near a microphone."

"Man to man, you've got to help me with that," Mike said.

"I think your sister will have something to say if I do," I chuckled. "I'd prefer to start off my married life on the right foot. With her not wanting to kill me."

"Or you could start everyday married life right off the bat," Ella teased. "You might as well get used to it."

We all laughed, and Aria and Byron emerged from his office. Apparently he hadn't had too much to say to her, because that had taken all of two minutes.

"Why do I feel like you're all plotting something?" Aria chuckled.

"Mike's trying to involve Ezra in his nefarious plans to hijack the wedding toasts, but Ezra's having none of it," Ella chuckled. "Said he'd prefer to start off married life with you not wanting to kill him."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Aria said as she sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder.

"What can I say? My survival instincts are kicking in," I teased, kissing her hair.

"You're a smart man, Ezra," Byron chuckled. "No one can hold a grudge like Montgomery women."

"So you're saying you're okay with this, but now you're trying to scare him off?" Aria giggled.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to scare me off," I assured her, tilting her chin up for a kiss. "Face it. You're stuck with me for life."

 **Aria**

I walked into Spencer's barn a couple of days before Christmas with my hands full of gifts for my friends and trying to figure out how to tell them about the wedding this summer. And about the fact that I'd been thinking long and hard about it, and I just didn't feel right asking one of them to be my maid of honor, so I'd decided to ask Becca. I'd talked to Ezra about it to make sure he was okay with me having so many bridesmaids, and he said he was good with it. He was fine having Mike, Caleb, and Toby as groomsmen to even things out a little.

It almost felt like it had been too easy with my dad a few days ago. When Ezra had sent me into his office after they got done talking and literally the only thing my dad was concerned about was whether I felt forced into this wedding, I'd almost fainted. After I assured him that I didn't, that it was my decision as much as Ezra's, he'd told me that as long as I promised to finish school, he had no issues with us getting married this summer. Ezra and I had already talked about that too, and he'd told me (and my dad, apparently) that he was happy to support me for the next few years so I could concentrate on school. I'd brought up getting a part-time job (which I'd already been considering before this anyway), and he'd all but plugged his ears. He wasn't hearing it. He'd said that school was only going to get more difficult and time-consuming, and that there was no reason why I needed to work and go to school at the same time.

"Aria," Emily said the second I walked in the door of the barn, hugging me before I could even set the gifts I'd brought down. "Please say you're okay."

"I'm okay, guys," I promised them. "My back is still healing, but other than that I'm great."

"Thank God for that," Alison said, waiting for me to set down the gifts before hugging me in turn. "God, I was so worried when you called me."

"Well, if it hadn't been for Ezra, you all would have gotten a group text. It was torture telling the story so many times," I said.

"We all appreciated the phone calls, though," Hanna told me as she hugged me. "You sure you're okay?"

"I promise I'm fine, Han," I sighed.

"Thank God you had Ezra there," Spencer said as she gave me the last hug of the group. "And thank God he thought to take you out of town for a couple of days."

Well, there was my opening.

"Yeah, about that," I said. "Um, let's sit down. I have something to tell you guys."

"About Ezra taking you out of town after your professor assaulted you?" Emily asked, clearly confused.

"Yes," I sighed. "Um, we talked that weekend. And he told me that what happened made him not want to wait anymore. So we're getting married this summer."

"Show of hands, who saw this coming?" Alison said, raising her hand.

The other three shot their hands up immediately.

"Yeah, bit of a foregone conclusion, weren't we?" I chuckled.

"Just a bit," Spencer teased. "So, where is it happening? Here or in Savannah?"

"Here," I said. "Easier to fly my three closest friends from college here than it would be to fly everyone from Rosewood down there."

"I know I'm not the only one who's curious to know how exactly he asked you what you thought about moving the wedding up a few years," Hanna giggled.

"You sure you want to hear all the sappy details?" I asked.

"Duh!" she said.

I told them everything, about him whispering "marry me" right into my ear and making me melt into a huge puddle, about the conversation we had about it, and then about his crazy stunt re-proposing in the middle of downtown St. Augustine.

"Wow, where is this place and what are they putting in the water?" Spencer said. "I think I need to plan a trip there with Toby. Apparently it's so romantic that Ezra felt the need to propose _again_."

We all giggled like we were back in high school.

"St. Augustine, Florida," I told them. "And it is home to the Fountain of Youth, so I'm not entirely sure what they're putting in the water."

"Well, Caleb and I clearly need to plan a trip too," Hanna chuckled. "Don't worry, we'll stop in Savannah on the way down."

"You better," I laughed. "So, that being said, I have something very important to ask all of you. Will you be bridesmaids in my wedding this summer?"

"Oh, my God, of course," Alison chuckled.

"Absolutely," Emily said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, what they said," Hanna giggled.

"Ditto," Spencer agreed.

"I do have to tell you guys something, though. And I hope you won't be too mad at me for it," I started.

"What would we possibly be mad at you for?" Emily asked.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about who I want to be my maid of honor. And I love all four of you so much that I literally can't choose between you. So I decided not to. I'm going to ask my roommate and best friend in Savannah, Becca, to be my maid of honor," I said hesitantly.

"What about Jordan?" Spencer asked. "You've told us a lot about her too."

"I'm going to ask her and Becca's girlfriend Kendra to take the pictures," I explained. "Kendra's an amazing photographer too, and I'd rather have people who know me and Ezra capturing the day on film."

"Well, I for one can't wait to meet Becca in person," Emily said. "She seems like such a sweetheart. Jordan and Kendra too."

"They're all amazing," I agreed. "Becca has been so awesome from day one. I couldn't have gotten luckier with the random roommate assignments. I was just hoping I'd be able to tolerate my roommate. I had no idea she'd turn into one of my best friends. And Jordan and I clicked the first day we met in our photography class. When Mr. Thomas started acting so weird towards me, she tried never to leave me alone with him. Which worked great until it didn't."

"I can't wait to meet them either," Hanna said. "Okay, so are we doing presents sometime soon? I'm super excited to give you guys your gifts."

"Yeah, same here," I said. "I can't wait for you guys to see what I got you. So you're all really okay with me asking Becca to be my maid of honor?"

"You've been living with her for a semester," Alison said. "And you two have been through a lot together this semester. I'd be surprised if you _didn't_ ask her."

"Yeah, I'm just glad you didn't just throw us to the curb completely," Spencer teased. "And now that this has happened, I totally see where Ezra's coming from. I can't wait to be there when you get married."

"Thanks, guys," I said, smiling. "So, let's do presents. Who's going first?"

I walked back into the hotel room a couple of hours later to find Ezra looking bored out of his skull reading a book.

"Hey," I said as I walked up to the couch.

"Hey," he said, pulling me down onto his lap. "Have fun with your friends?"

"Yeah," I said. "You look like you've been sitting here watching paint dry since I left. I feel bad for abandoning you now."

He chuckled. "No, I've only been watching paint dry for half the time you were gone. I was reading _Ulysses_ for the other half."

"Finally finish it?" I teased.

"Nope," he shot back, giving me a kiss. "So, either you're not telling me how your talk with them went because it went terrible or because you're drawing out the suspense."

"Well, who says it's not both?"

"Seriously? It went that bad?"

"No," I laughed. "They saw it coming from a mile away and were thrilled to be asked to be bridesmaids. Though why they ever thought I wouldn't ask them is beyond me. And they were fine with Becca as my maid of honor. Ali even said she would have been surprised if I hadn't arrived at that decision. But seriously, are you sure you're good with me having so many bridesmaids and using my brother and my friends' boyfriends to even it out a little?"

"I told you before, I actually did bond with Caleb and Toby over losing our minds trying to find you girls for three weeks. And Mike's going to be my brother too. So I'm more than good with it. I'm a little confused as to why your bridal party isn't even larger, actually. What about Jordan and Kendra?"

"Well, Kendra is actually a pretty amazing photographer. Every bit as good as Jordan. So my plan was to ask them to take the pictures. I'd rather have people who know us well doing that than people who are just in it for the money."

"I have no idea why I even had to ask you that," he said, shaking his head. "I should have known. At least about Jordan. And it's brilliant. I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

The ear-to-ear grin on his face literally had not disappeared since we'd talked to my dad the day after we got here. And neither had the light in his eyes. It was pretty stinking adorable how excited he was about starting to plan our wedding.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting excited about this," I teased.

"Now what in the world would make you think that?" he shot back. "The fact that I'm starting to plan my wedding with the love of my life?"

"No, the fact that your eyes have been lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning and you've had an ear-to-ear grin on your face ever since we talked to my dad a few days ago. It's pretty adorable, actually," I said, smiling.

Ezra laughed and kissed me. "Is it?"

"It is," I giggled, kissing him again. "And for the record, I'm getting excited about it too. Now that I know my best friends here don't want to kill me for asking Becca to be my maid of honor. Which I haven't even done yet."

"Good," he said, grabbing his tablet from the table next to him. "Because I actually wasn't watching paint dry while you were gone. I was looking at venues. You up for seeing what I found?"

"Absolutely," I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

Ezra squeezed me a little tighter and kissed my forehead before pulling up the information on his tablet. And really, the prices weren't nearly as bad as I'd thought, especially on relatively short notice. I'd already told him I wanted an indoor venue. No way in hell was I about to get married outdoors in the dead of summer. He'd agreed with me. Outdoors would have been even worse for him because he'd be wearing black.

He'd actually been really busy while I was gone. Even made some phone calls and seen what dates were open. Looking at what he'd come up with, it looked like we were looking at mid-to-late July for a date. I didn't want to do it in June, because I wanted to be able to have some time to get back up here and do some last-minute planning and such. I'd feel too rushed if we picked a date in June.

The entire Christmas break seemed to fly by, and we actually did get a lot of planning for the wedding done. We'd settled on a wedding date, put a deposit down on a venue and a caterer, and I'd talked to the girls and my mom about coming to visit in Savannah for a weekend so they could meet Becca and go dress shopping with me. We settled on a weekend in mid-February, and I'd even texted Becca to make sure it would work for her too.

Before we knew it, Ezra and I were getting back into his car to head back home. Strangely enough, Savannah already felt like home to me. As nice as it was to come up here and see everyone, it was even nicer to be going back to Savannah. I was really looking forward to seeing Becca and Jordan and Kendra again. And even to getting back to school. Though after having spent almost a month living with Ezra, it was going to be rough going back to the dorms. He'd admitted it would be rough for him too and reminded me that I still had a key to his place.

Becca was already in the dorm room when I got back, with Kendra. Kendra had brought Becca home to meet her family over the break. While Becca's mom was making progress accepting this new side of her daughter, her father still wasn't budging. I'd offered that if Becca didn't have anywhere else to go, she could come home with me and Ezra, but I'd been thrilled when Kendra invited her to go back to Maryland instead.

"Hey," Becca said, giving me a hug. "How was your Christmas?"

I smiled. "Amazing."

"That's all we get?" Kendra chuckled.

"Fine. Ezra and I talked to my parents, set a date for the wedding, and put deposits down for a venue and caterer. This is really happening," I giggled.

"That's awesome," Becca said.

"Um, Becca, I have something I need to ask you," I told her. "And you too, Kendra. I was hoping Jordan would be back already, but I'll talk to her later."

"Talk to who later?" Jordan said as she knocked on our doorframe.

"Um, no one apparently," I chuckled, getting up to give her a hug. "Have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah, great. You?"

"Great. Okay, what's with the ear-to-ear grin? I mean, I know you're happy to see me, but this is something else."

"Aria and Ezra set a date and put deposits down on a venue and caterer while they were in Rosewood," Becca said before I could. "It's official now. They're getting married this summer."

"Oh, my God!" Jordan said, hugging me again. "That's amazing!"

"Thanks," I giggled. "Come sit down. I have something to ask all of you. Actually, I'm going to start with you and Kendra. I feel like a jerk for not asking you two to be in my bridal party, but in the interest of trying to keep it from getting out of control, I'm limiting my bridal party to five. Which is already one more bridesmaid than the number of groomsmen Ezra has. And I have another job for you guys. It would mean the world to me and Ezra if you two would be our photographers."

"I'd be honored," Kendra said immediately.

"Ditto," Jordan agreed. "I'd love to. I was actually going to ask you if you had a photographer yet."

"We'll pay you both, of course," I said.

"Oh, no, you won't," Kendra shot back. "Consider this my wedding gift to you guys. I'll literally flush any money you try to give me down the toilet."

"I'm with Kendra," Jordan said. "Don't even think about trying to give me any money. Just maybe let me use a couple of the best shots in my portfolios when I start applying for jobs."

"Okay, then. Thank you guys," I chuckled. "Now, Becca, I was trying to find some creative way to do this, but I didn't do anything creative for my friends in Rosewood, so I'm just going to ask you. Officially. Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Oh, my God," she said, starting to cry. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," I laughed.

"Absolutely. Yes. I would love to be your maid of honor," she giggled.

I hugged her. "Thank you. I can't wait for you to meet the rest of my bridesmaids when they come in February. You're going to love them. And Kendra and Jordan, you'd better not be planning anything the weekend after Valentine's Day. Because you're coming with us to shop for wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses."

"I'll make sure my calendar is clear," Jordan chuckled.

"Me too," Kendra said. "Seriously, Aria, I'm so thrilled for you. Your face could light up a stadium right now. Oh, speaking of clearing calendars, you didn't tell us the wedding date."

"That would help, wouldn't it?" I giggled. "It's July 20th. I'll let you guys know when I need you there as soon as I figure it out myself."

"How about if we just plan on being there on the 10th?" Jordan suggested. "That'll give us plenty of time to have a bachelorette party and a wedding shower too."

"Yeah, that works," I agreed. "Oh, my God. This is actually happening, isn't it?"

"Darn right, it's happening," Becca chuckled. "You're getting hitched in six and a half months."


	10. Back in the Saddle

Chapter Ten  
 _Back in the Saddle_

 **Aria**

Jordan and I walked into the assistant district attorney's office a few days later nervous as hell. I'd done this before, but thankfully, Jordan never had. And the trial I'd testified in before was very different from this one. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect this time.

Ezra had wanted to come with us today, but I'd told him I didn't want him pushing his luck with his job. He'd talked to the principal before we'd even left to go to Rosewood, and he had told Ezra he could take the time off for the trial, which had jury selection on Monday and began on Tuesday. But there was no reason for him to be here for the trial prep.

"Miss Montgomery?" A young-looking man who reminded me a little of my brother stood up and came out from behind his desk as I walked in.

"Yes, hi," I said, holding my hand out. "Please call me Aria."

"Nice to meet you, Aria. I'm Daniel Blackstone, the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case against Kevin Thomas," he said, shaking my hand and then turning to Jordan. "And you must be Miss Blake?"

"Jordan," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Okay, Jordan. And please call me Dan. Mr. Blackstone is my father."

Jordan and I chuckled nervously.

"Come on in and have a seat," he said, gesturing to the couch in the office. "Can I get either of you some coffee or water?"

"I'm good, thanks," I told him as I sat down.

"Me too," Jordan agreed.

"Okay, then. Let's get to it. Aria, you were brilliant in thinking to record what happened to you. That's our most significant piece of evidence, along with the videos we found on his hard drive. We also have the photos of your injuries that they took at the hospital. And we have the statements both you and Jordan gave to the police. And I'm sure you heard that there's more than just this charge against him. We're charging him with over a dozen counts of rape, in addition to your assault."

"I heard that," I said. "I believe I know one of the other victims. Alexis Brooks?"

"That's right. She actually came to me hoping to testify against him for your case even if it was too late to charge him for her own assault. But since he was never officially charged before, I was able to charge him with her assault with the video evidence we found."

"I feel sorry for this jury," Jordan said. "Having to listen to and see all of that."

"No joke," I agreed. "I'd probably need some counseling after being on this jury."

"It definitely wasn't easy to swallow," Dan sighed. "Now, I know both of you ladies have to be in school. I'm going to do my very best to make sure that you're only out for a few days. Aria, you'll have to be there for the jury selection. And then, as the prosecution, I get to call my witnesses first, so I plan on calling both of you, one after the other, on the first day of the trial. Then the only other time you'll have to be there is for closing arguments. Jordan, you don't even have to be there for that, though I will certainly get your absence from school excused if you choose to be."

"I'll be there even if it's unexcused. I'm not going to let Aria do this alone," Jordan said.

I smiled, beyond thankful for Jordan. And for Ezra and Becca and Kendra. None of them were going to let me do this alone.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. I remember how protective you and her roommate were of her when the police and I came looking for her right after this happened," Dan said with a smile. "Aria, should we be making room for anyone else in the courtroom?"

"My fiancé Ezra is coming to the trial too," I told him. "And my friends Becca and Kendra. At least for the days I'm there."

"Good. I'd hoped you would have a support system there with you. Because unfortunately, this defense attorney is known for being…well, brutal. He won't care what you've been through; he'll try to tear your story to shreds."

"He can try," I chuckled tensely. "I don't have anything to hide though. I told the police everything."

"That's the attitude you need going in there," he said, smiling. "You both need to remember you haven't done anything wrong. He's the one who's on trial, not you."

"I don't know if you're allowed to tell us this, but I'm curious. What exactly _is_ his defense?" Jordan asked. "It's not like he can deny he did it or claim that what he did to Aria was consensual. I haven't seen the videos so I don't know if he can claim consent with the rest of the people or not."

That was actually a really good question. And one I'd been wondering about but was too afraid to ask. It was like Jordan was reading my mind.

"Speaking as someone who has seen the videos, consent would be a _very_ tough sell," Dan told us. "I hope you're not there on the days we have to show those videos. Aria's injuries look like nothing compared to the rest of those poor girls. And he's not trying to sell consent. He's actually pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect."

"What mental disease?" I asked, shaking my head. The nerve of some people.

"An extreme case of morbid jealousy and transference," he scoffed. Apparently he thought it was as outlandish as we did.

"Wait, what?" Jordan asked.

"The story his attorney is telling is this. Mr. Thomas was engaged when he was a student at Savannah College of Art and Design. He was very much in love with his fiancée. And then he caught her sleeping with one of her professors. Naturally, he was heartbroken and outraged. He broke up with her and became mad with rage and jealousy. When he became a professor there, in his altered mental state, he decided to conduct a social experiment. Whenever he had a student who was engaged, he would try to get them to be disloyal to their partner. Apparently there were even more women who actually willingly did what he asked of them."

"And when that didn't work, he raped them, or in my case tried to?" I asked. "That doesn't even make any sense. What was he trying to prove?"

"You're right; it doesn't make sense," Dan agreed. "But according to his doctor, it only had to make sense to him. The even more interesting thing, though, is his ex-fiancée actually came to us asking to testify against him. She's on our witness list as well. She said she herself was raped by the professor he caught her with. What Mr. Thomas saw that day was not an act of consent. She had injuries to back it up and that professor ended up getting charged and serving time."

"Now I'm really confused," Jordan chuckled.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed.

"Well, that makes three of us," Dan said. "I'm going to use her to tear his defense to shreds. And rest assured, our case against him is airtight. There is no way he will get away with this, no matter what the defense tries."

"What might they try?" I asked. "What can we expect in there?"

We spent the rest of the hour with the ADA telling us the kind of questions we could expect to be asked by the defense attorney. He would literally try to find any hole he could in our stories and unravel them if he could. Unfortunately, my history with Ezra was bound to come to light. Which might cause him some issues at work. He also told us that he personally would be asking very direct, pointed questions about what Mr. Thomas had done to me and we needed to answer in as few words as possible. While we didn't need to look like we were hiding anything (which we weren't), we also didn't need to volunteer any unnecessary information that the defense could try to twist against us.

I liked Dan a lot. He was warm and personable, but very professional and clearly knew what he was doing. This was obviously not his first rodeo. I completely trusted him to get me and Jordan, and the rest of the girls, through the trial and get a conviction easily.

I walked into Ezra's apartment feeling a little overwhelmed, but relatively confident. And I found that I'd beat him home. Then I remembered he'd told me he'd agreed to monitor detention after school today since he'd be out for at least part of next week, so he was going to be home late. I just pulled out my laptop and got to work writing the piece Mr. Sawyer had wanted to go with my self-portraits. I would meet him for the first time tomorrow, and he'd emailed me this morning to remind me to bring it with me. And I'd completely forgotten to write it. What with planning a wedding and all, I'd been a little preoccupied over the winter break.

I was so into my writing that I literally didn't even hear the door unlock or hear Ezra come in. He scared me when he wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind and kissed my cheek. I screamed and jumped a little in my seat.

"Sorry," he laughed. "I didn't mean to scare you. What are you working on so intently?"

"That piece that Mr. Sawyer wanted me to write to go with the self-portraits. The one I was supposed to write over the break. He emailed me today to remind me to bring it to class with me tomorrow. And I realized that I was a little distracted by wedding planning and completely forgot to write it," I chuckled. "I blame you."

"Well, if it's my fault that you forgot about it, the least I can do is proofread the piece before you turn it in to be published," he said, giving me a real kiss this time.

"I was actually going to ask you to," I told him. "I definitely don't do my best work when it's hastily thrown together at the last minute. And when I'm distracted thinking about my trial that's starting in five days."

"Yeah, how did your meeting with the attorney go?" Ezra asked.

"Um, do you mind letting me finish this before I tell you? I'm almost done and I don't want to lose my train of thought."

"Yeah, of course. I'll shut up and let you work. Is it cool if I order a pizza? I'm way too tired to cook."

"Works for me," I said. "I'll be done in a little bit."

I got back to work and finished the piece in about fifteen minutes. Ezra had jumped in the shower, so I proofread it myself and thought it sounded pretty good. But he was the one who'd been published before, not me. So I'd let him be the judge. He looked at it over dinner, and while he gave me a couple of small pointers, he liked it a lot. I printed it out and then took a deep breath and went back to the couch. I couldn't put off telling him about my meeting with the ADA anymore.

"Seriously, was your meeting really that nerve-wracking?" Ezra asked me as I leaned back against him.

"Well, I found out that Mr. Thomas is a nutcase. Like, possibly certifiable," I sighed.

"Didn't we already know that? What sane person assaults over a dozen women?"

"True. But this is mind boggling. He's pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The mental disease? An extreme case of morbid jealousy and transference."

"What?" he asked. "I'm confused."

"Oh, you'll be more confused by the time I'm done. So the story goes that he was engaged while he was a student at the school. Loved his fiancée to pieces. And then caught her cheating on him with a professor. Obviously, he was heartbroken and dumped her. Then when he became a professor there, apparently he forgot that he was teaching photography and thought he was teaching social sciences. Because he decided that he was going to do a social experiment. Whenever he crossed paths with an engaged student, he'd try to get her to 'be disloyal to' her fiancé with him, as the ADA put it. Apparently there were plenty of students who actually did what he wanted willingly. But those of us who didn't…well, he raped them, or tried to in my case."

"That doesn't even make sense," Ezra said. "If he was doing a social experiment, what in the hell was he trying to prove? Rape isn't disloyalty, because there's no consent."

"Apparently it only has to make sense to him," I said. "I don't get it either. But it gets even better. Mr. Thomas's ex-fiancée came to the ADA and asked to testify against him. She told him that what Mr. Thomas saw when he was in college…well, that wasn't consensual either. She had injuries to prove it and went to the hospital. And that professor was charged and ended up serving time."

"So what exactly was he morbidly jealous about then? You were right. I am more confused. My head is spinning now."

"Yeah, I know. Dan, the ADA, seems to think convicting him is going to be a cake walk. I tend to agree with him, because my head was spinning too when he was done telling me about all of this. And if it doesn't make sense to any of us, I'm pretty sure it won't make sense to the jury either. Anyway, apparently this defense attorney is brutal. And he's going to try to rip my story to shreds. But he can try all he wants. I have nothing to hide."

"Well, I'm glad Mr. White gave me the time off so I can be there with you." He kissed my hair. "If he hadn't, it would kill me knowing you were in a courtroom with this guy."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" I asked. "They're going to be playing the recording I turned over to the police. And I don't know if they have video footage of my assault too. But if they do I'm sure they'll show it. Can you handle seeing and hearing that?"

He sighed; I guessed he hadn't even thought of that.

"Well, it's not going to make my list of my top ten best days, that's for sure," he said. "But I'm not going to let you do this alone. I'll live."

"If you need to leave the courtroom, I won't think less of you," I told him. "I know it's not going to be easy for you."

Ezra put his hand on my face and stared straight into my eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "Not for a second. No matter how upsetting the evidence is, I'm staying right there in the courtroom. Though I might not want to let you out of my sight for a few days after that."

I chuckled. "I won't complain. I probably won't want to leave anyway. I don't know how I'm going to be able to go back to school the next day."

"You could always take a mental health day. I'm sure no one will think less of you for it. I, on the other hand, am going to have to go back to work and act like nothing happened. I only have the days I'm going _to_ the trial off."

"Mr. White's not too upset about you coming, is he?" I asked. "Tell me the truth."

"No, he's not," Ezra assured me. "He actually brought it up to me before I said anything. He'd read the paper and said that if I needed time off to go with you to the trial, he would gladly give it to me."

"He seems like a good guy," I said, smiling.

"He is. He's become a good friend. Actually said he wants to meet you when you're up to it," he told me, kissing my forehead. "Oh, and asked if he was invited to the wedding when I told him we'd set a date."

I chuckled. "If he wants to make the trip to Rosewood, I won't say no. But maybe meeting him can wait until after the trial?"

"That's what I told him. In pretty much those exact words."

"Great minds think alike," I giggled.

Ezra kissed me and pulled me into his lap. "They do. So, it would appear my job is to take your mind off of this for the rest of the evening. And I think I have an idea or two how to do that."

I laughed and kissed him again as I moved so I could straddle his legs. He pulled me as close as humanly possible and ran his hand up the back of my shirt, undoing my bra. I pulled his shirt off and let it fall to the floor; my shirt and already undone bra joined it within about ten seconds. He seemed to hesitate for just a second, then turned and laid down on the couch, pulling me down on top of him. And a couple of minutes in, my still somewhat iffy back started hurting. A lot. There was no way this was going to work on the couch. I pulled back.

"What is it?" he asked, brushing my hair back from my face.

"My back," I sighed. "Why they said it'd only hurt for a week is beyond me."

"You sure you're up for this?" he asked as he sat us back up.

"Yeah, just not here." I stood up.

Ezra stood up and kissed me again, slowly walking us backwards to the bedroom. Just like he'd always been since everything had happened, he was so sweet and gentle and caring, doing everything he could to make sure he didn't hurt me. He'd always been sweet and gentle in bed anyway, but he'd just taken it up a notch since then. And, more than that, he did everything he could to make sure I felt safe.

I'd never thought that feeling safe with him would ever be an issue for me until…well, until it was the first time we'd tried this after I was assaulted. That first night we were in St. Augustine. It wasn't something that I was consciously aware of. It wasn't like I was scared of him. But then all of a sudden, I'd frozen. I hadn't even known why. I still couldn't figure it out, even now. I'd never forget how amazing he was when it happened, though. He'd stopped everything, immediately. I hadn't even had to say anything. And he'd just laid there and held me, telling me it was okay and that I was safe and he loved me. After about ten minutes, the unexplained paralyzing fear had passed and it hadn't been an issue since. But still. Ever since, he'd taken things just a little slower and made a conscious effort to make sure I was okay. And his genuine concern made me love him even more, if it was possible.

"I love you," Ezra said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence we'd been lying there in for the better part of an hour.

"Mm," I mumbled; I'd almost fallen asleep.

"Sorry," he chuckled as he kissed my head. "You can sleep."

"No, I need to get up. I need a shower before I go to sleep," I said. "And I love you too."

I slowly and a little painfully got up. It almost seemed like my back was going back downhill, not continuing to heal. Ezra got up and put some clothes on, then followed me into the bathroom.

"Are you still on your parents' health insurance?" he asked me as I turned the water on.

"Yeah," I sighed. "And I think I know what you're going to say. Because I've been thinking the same thing. I need to see a doctor. See if something more is wrong with my back than what they initially saw at the ER. Because according to the ER doctor, it shouldn't still be hurting."

"I know you've got a lot on your plate, but please do me a favor and make an appointment," he said, kissing my head and wrapping his arms around my waist. "I didn't want to say anything, but I'm starting to get worried."

I smiled, melting a little at his obvious concern. "I will. I promise. If nothing else, I'll go to a walk-in clinic before the end of the week. Because I know I won't have time next week and I don't want to put it off until after the trial."

"Thank you," he said as he kissed my shoulder. "Now, hurry up and come back to bed."

I giggled and turned around to kiss him, then got in the shower.

I walked into my Intermediate Photography class the next day a little nervous and unsure of what to expect. I was a little early and no one was there. No one except a man who was about in his mid-fifties and reminded me a lot of my dad. I immediately knew who he was.

"Mr. Sawyer?" I asked as I walked up to where he was sitting behind the desk.

"Yes?" he asked, looking up from what was probably his lesson plan.

"Sorry to interrupt your reading," I said. "I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Aria."

"Miss Montgomery," he said warmly, holding out his hand. "Of course. I recognize you from those wonderful self-portraits. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"It's great to finally meet you too," I said as I shook his hand. "I brought the piece you asked me to write."

"Well, since we still have fifteen minutes before class, let me take a look at it now."

I pulled the piece out of the binder I'd created for this class and handed it to him. He immediately started reading it.

"Sorry if it's a little long," I said after about five minutes, chuckling nervously. "I'm actually a writer too, and so is my fiancé. He helped me fine-tune it last night. Which made it even longer."

Mr. Sawyer chuckled. "It's not too long at all. It's brilliant. I love how you explained each photo and exactly what you were trying to capture. So, Jordan Blake helped you conceptualize some of the shots as well? I think she's in the class also."

"She is," I told him. "And she's one of my best friends. She's completely brilliant with a camera. Much better than I am. But she's been doing it a lot longer. Photography's a relatively new passion of mine."

"I did want to ask you, how do you feel about going back into our darkroom? A lot of the assignments in this class are with film and developing, but if you're not ready to go back in there, I'm happy to make an exception and let you use a digital camera," he said.

I smiled; Mr. Sawyer was reminding me more and more of my dad by the minute. I could tell I was going to like him already.

"Honestly?" I sighed. "I don't know. I'm willing to try going in there and developing my pictures. But I'm not going to lie, it scares me to think about it."

"You're a brave girl," he said. "But please promise you'll come to me if it becomes too much for you. We'll work something out. Okay?"

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. Oh, I need to give you this too." I pulled the excuse for next week out of my bag. "Mr. Thomas's trial starts on Tuesday. I'm testifying. I think Jordan's going to have one of those for you too, because she's testifying as a witness."

"Thank you," he said. "I'll bet you wish you were going to be here instead of there."

"Oh, you have no idea," I chuckled.

One class in, and I could already tell I was going to love this class. I would get to be creative and add my own flair to the projects, a lot more than with the beginning class. And Mr. Sawyer was a brilliant teacher. Funny, down-to-earth, and very warm. Matter of fact, while his personality reminded me of my dad, his teaching style absolutely reminded me of Ezra's.

As soon as I was done with that class, I tried to make a doctor's appointment. Not surprisingly, no doctors could get me in on such short notice. So on Friday after my last class, which got out at three, I headed to the only walk-in clinic with an x-ray machine. Ezra met me there when he got off work an hour later. Why he felt the need to come, I wasn't quite sure, but at least he kept me company while I was waiting.

They took another round of x-rays of my back and we found out the reason it was still hurting was because the ER doctor had failed to notice a hairline fracture in one of my vertebrae. Or it could have been that there was so much swelling at the time that it made it hard to see. The son of a bitch had actually broken my back. Well, that was fabulous. Because it meant I'd be wearing a back brace for a month at least. I was supposed to follow up with them in a month to get another x-ray and see if I was improving any. They gave me more hydrocodone in case I needed it too (which I would avoid at all costs because I hated how groggy it made me even after the painkiller part wore off).

"Ugh. This thing is so uncomfortable," I complained as I walked into the apartment for the weekend. "And it's obviously the height of fashion."

Ezra chuckled. "You'll get used to it. And it's supposed to be functional, not fashionable."

"Because I don't already stick out like a sore thumb on campus," I sighed as I sat down on the couch. "Now I get to wear this and stick out even more. Am I ever going to be able to blend in?"

"You've never blended into the crowd, Aria," he reminded me, sitting down next to me. "You've always stood out."

"Because of who I am. In Rosewood, I was always Alison DiLaurentis's friend. And now, I'm that girl who got assaulted by the professor who got arrested. I'm infamous."

He laughed. "Maybe. But you don't stand out because of that. You stand out because you're fearless and brave. You're not afraid to be different or stand up for what you think is right. Or go after what you want. That's something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of. It's one of the many reasons why I love you. And it's going to be your most powerful asset when you walk into that courtroom on Monday. That, and this brace won't hurt either. It'll win you sympathy points with the jury for sure."

I smiled and awkwardly leaned against him. This back brace was going to get on my last nerve. But Ezra? He never would. Just like always, he'd managed to calm me down when I'd wound myself up over something stupid. God, I loved him. More than I could even wrap my head around. I couldn't have been happier to be planning our wedding. I couldn't wait to be married to him. I knew there would never be a day in my life when I didn't feel this way about him.

"I have told you lately that I love you, right?" I said.

He kissed my hair. "Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it. Now, I think you need to laugh. You're way too stressed out. So, how's _The Producers_ sound?"

"Sure. Might as well start getting the songs stuck in my head now."

"You're kidding. That's the show they're doing this semester?"

"Yep. I guess they're going for envelope-pushing. I was shocked too. I thought this was the Bible Belt. Becca's auditioning for Ulla, though I'm going to be very impressed if she can pull off a Swedish accent."

"You won't be the only one," Ezra chuckled. "I was surprised enough by the Chicago accent. Just be thankful she's not a method actor."

"Oh, jeez," I giggled. "I don't know if I could handle living with that for the next few months."

That night, for the first time ever, I actually had a nightmare about what had happened to me. Except in the dream, he'd broken my back to the point where I couldn't move. And he'd actually been able to do what he wanted with me because of that. It was vivid and felt as real as the actual attack.

I was shaken back to consciousness. I woke up to find Ezra looking at me, seeming like he was about to start crying. I took a second to process the fact that it had all just been a horrible dream. And then I just started bawling. It was too much. I was nineteen years old, for God's sake. I'd been through too much already. I couldn't do this. I couldn't deal with being assaulted by a professor. I couldn't deal with having to testify at his trial. I couldn't deal with him breaking my back and having to wear the stupid, ugly, and uncomfortable back brace for a month. I couldn't handle any of this. Ezra just held me and let me cry.

"You're still safe," he said softly, kissing my head. "It was just a dream. You're okay."

"I can't deal with this," I sobbed. "I can't."

"Shh," he soothed me. "You're okay. I've got you. You're okay."

"No, I'm not. He broke my back. The bastard actually broke my back."

"I promise, you'll be fine." He squeezed me gently. "You'll be good as new in no time."

"What if I'm not? What if it never heals right because they didn't catch it right away? What if I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my life?"

"Then we'll deal," Ezra said, kissing my hair again.

"I don't know why you bother," I sniffled. "I'm not worth the trouble."

"Yeah, you're right. What am I thinking?" he chuckled; he was clearly joking.

"Really. What _are_ you thinking?" I asked, one hundred percent serious. I literally didn't know why he was still with me. It seemed like all we did was go from one traumatic situation to the next.

"I'm thinking that I love you more than my own life. That you make me happier than I have any right to be. That you've made me come alive in a way I never knew was possible from the first second I met you. And that I'll die before I let anyone hurt you again."

Wow. That was pretty deep for three in the morning.

"Oh, is that all?" I teased.

Ezra chuckled and kissed me. "That, and that I can't wait to be married to you."

I smiled as I somewhat painfully nestled further into his embrace. He tightened his arms around me and kissed my forehead. And, eventually, I fell back asleep, wrapped in the safety and comfort of his arms.

 **Ezra**

Since Aria's friends didn't have to be there for the jury selection, she and I walked into the courthouse alone on Monday morning. She was all nerves, clearly hesitant about being in the same room as Mr. Thomas again. I couldn't say I blamed her. Before we even made it to the courtroom, Alexis spotted me in the crowd. She and Jacob walked up to us.

"Ezra," she said.

"Hi, Alexis," I said. "Jacob. Nice to see you both again. Though I wish it was under different circumstances."

Alexis chuckled. "Me too, but I'm just glad he's finally going to trial." She turned to look at Aria. "And you're Aria. I recognize you from your picture on Facebook."

"Yeah," Aria said, going to shake Alexis's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Alexis ignored Aria's outstretched hand and went for a hug instead. Aria returned it immediately.

"Jesus, he did a number on you," Alexis said, sounding like she was about to cry. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Aria half-smiled. "Thanks."

"Well, in happier news, I saw on Facebook that you guys set a date for your wedding," Alexis said with a grin. "Congrats. Though it seems kind of late for that."

Aria and I both chuckled a little, and I turned to kiss Aria's head.

"It's not late," Aria said. "It feels real now that we're starting to plan it. Though planning a wedding from a thousand miles away is proving slightly difficult."

"I can imagine," Alexis chuckled. "I hope this isn't too weird because we barely know you guys, but Jacob and I would love to be there."

"It's not weird at all," I said immediately. "If you don't mind making the trip to Pennsylvania."

"I always wanted to visit there anyway. So I mean it. If you're okay with it, we would love to come."

"We're more than okay with it," Aria said.

"We should probably head in there, guys," Jacob said, speaking up for the first time.

"You're right; we should," I said, checking my watch. "I think we have five minutes."

As soon as we walked in, a man who almost looked too young to be a lawyer and for some reason reminded me of my future brother-in-law seemed to recognize the girls and walked up to us.

"Aria, Alexis, thank you for coming today." He turned to me and Jacob, holding out his hand. "And you must be Ezra and Jacob, right?"

"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook his hand.

"I'm Daniel Blackstone, the assistant district attorney prosecuting this case," he said. "But call me Dan. Mr. Blackstone is my father. Anyway, the rest of us are up here. Come with me. So, today's going to be pretty boring for you guys. The defense attorney and I are both going to be doing a lot of talking and asking the jury pool a bunch of questions. Basically we needed you ladies here because we need you to stand up so the potential jurors can see you and make sure they don't know you."

Aria and Alexis both looked over at the other side of the courtroom at the same time and froze. Though I'd never met Kevin Thomas, it didn't take a genius to see who he was. He was the one who almost seemed like he was enjoying this spectacle. I pulled Aria a little closer and kissed her temple.

"He can't hurt you anymore," Jacob said quietly, squeezing Alexis's shoulder and then turning to look at Aria. "Both of you. You're safe now."

Aria leaned a little closer against me and grunted quietly. She needed to sit down. Standing for more than ten minutes or so at a time was painful for her.

"Come on," I said. "Let's get you to a chair."

I'd have to remember to bring a cushion or pillow with us tomorrow. Aria was going to be in agony by the end of the day sitting on these wooden benches in the courtroom. She sat slightly sideways and leaned back against me as much as she could in this setting, trying to take pressure off her lower back. I wrapped an arm around her and tried to adjust myself so I was supporting as much of her weight as I could.

It was then that I finally looked over at the jury pool. And I was completely shocked to find Mark White sitting there. He clearly knew where Aria and I were, because he looked everywhere except for at us. I couldn't figure out why. He'd have to excuse himself anyway. He knew me and Alexis's father. And probably Alexis herself too. It would be impossible for him to be impartial.

Both attorneys introduced themselves and a brief description of the charges against Kevin Thomas was given. And then Dan stood up.

"Good morning. I want to thank you for being here today. My name is Dan Blackstone and I am the attorney prosecuting this case. I've been practicing law here in Savannah for four years. Do any of you know me?"

No one spoke up or raised their hands.

"This is Michael Crawford, attorney for the defense. He's been practicing law in Savannah for twelve years. Do any of you know him?"

No one did.

"The accused is Mr. Kevin Thomas. Will the accused please stand?"

He did.

"Do any of you know him?"

One person spoke up, and they were immediately excused and replaced with another person to keep the number of potential jurors in the pool at 39, three times the number of people that would be on the jury.

"The prosecuting parties in this case are Aria Montgomery, Alexis Brooks, Rachel Evans, Marcia Gonzalez, Petra Knight, Christine Martin, Keira Cross, Hannah Johnson, Darcy Smith, Marion Little, Justine Henderson, Grace Abbott, Lucy Vickers, and Madison Hall. Will you ladies please rise? Do any of you know any of these ladies?"

No one spoke up. Not even Mr. White. I was confused. He didn't know Aria other than by association, but I thought he knew Alexis. Apparently not.

He also listed the names of the witnesses in the case, and asked if anyone knew them. One person knew the ER doctor who had treated Aria, and they were excused and replaced with someone else.

"Does anyone have any reason why they feel that they cannot be impartial in this case?"

No one spoke up. What in the hell was Mr. White doing? Was he actually trying to get himself on this jury? If he was found out, he could go to jail for trying to manipulate the trial. But, I realized, only if he was found out. As long as none of us said anything, no one would ever know. That was exactly what he was doing. He was trying to slip by and get himself put on this jury. He didn't technically know Aria or Alexis. And as long as no one mentioned that Adam or I worked at Jenkins, no one would find out his connection to this case.

Dan and the prosecuting attorney both asked the pool of potential jurors a ton of questions. Some of them seemed relevant to the case, like asking them if they or anyone they knew had ever been the victim of sexual assault. Clearly that would create bias. I could even see asking them if they watched crime dramas. Because if they watched shows like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, that would probably make them a little biased too. But asking them questions like if they could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who they would pick? I was confused.

When we broke for lunch, Aria and I were both too wound up to want to eat, so I just sat in the back seat of my car and Aria curled up on the seat with her head in my lap. I asked if she wanted to leave, since she'd technically done her job here, but she wanted to stay. I toyed with the idea of telling her about Mr. White being in the jury pool, but decided against it for now. She had enough on her mind right now. If he was actually selected for the jury, I'd tell her.

After we went back into the courtroom, jury selection started. The prosecution and defense each took turns eliminating potential jurors. About halfway in, only about a quarter of the potential jurors were women. And Mr. White was still there. As the group slowly dwindled down to the final thirteen, he stayed put. He ended up on the jury.

This jury was the opposite of what I'd hoped for. It was about three-quarters full of men who were pretty much the exact same demographic as Kevin Thomas. Men between the ages of twenty-five and fifty, most of them white. We would just have to hope they all had wives or girlfriends or sisters that they loved and would never want something like this to happen to.

Aria headed straight for the bedroom when we got back home. She immediately changed out of the brace and into something more comfortable and got into bed without a word, rolling so she was facing away from me. I kicked off my shoes and went to lie down next to her.

"Hey, talk to me," I said quietly, kissing her head.

"I don't even know where to start," she sighed. "I'm scared out of my wits about having to go in there and testify tomorrow. In front of a jury that primarily consists of men. I'm scared that you won't be able to handle what you hear and that you'll be scarred for life. I need your strength, but I'm not sure I can count on it. Not after you hear that recording."

My heart broke. I knew where she was coming from. Because if it was just about me, yes, that recording would probably break me. It would scar me for life and make me want to break down crying. But it wasn't about me. It was about Aria. And I'd already told myself that I was going to steel myself and stay strong for her. She needed me, and I needed to be there for her.

"I can handle it," I promised. "I'm going to help you get through this. No matter what. You're not alone, Aria. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Aria turned around to look at me without a word. I just pulled her into my arms and we laid there silently for a minute before I spoke again.

"I have to tell you something," I started. "I should have said something earlier, but I was kind of in a tight spot. I still am, but there is no one I know who is better at keeping a secret and putting on a poker face than you. So I think you should know this."

"What?" she asked.

"Mark White is on the jury," I sighed. "Yes, that Mark White. The principal at Jenkins High."

Aria sat up and looked at me. "Tell me you're kidding."

"I almost wish I was. I have no idea what in the hell he thought he was doing, not disclosing his connection to this case. I mean, technically he's never met you, and apparently he's never actually met Alexis either. But he's in a position of authority over me and Alexis's father. And if he's found out, he could go to jail for trying to manipulate this trial, not to mention cause a mistrial, which means you'd be put through the ringer again."

"I'm sure he's just trying to help, but Jesus," Aria sighed. "This is dangerous for him. Really dangerous. That recording? It specifically says your name. Mr. Thomas found your name out when he called Rosewood High. Not your first name, just your last name, and it's not like Fitz is that uncommon a name, but still. If anyone does even a little digging, this could all explode in a huge way."

"I know. Do you mind if I go out into the living room and call him? I don't want him to even hear your voice or vice versa. I don't want you to say a single word to each other until this trial is over."

"No, go ahead," she said. "I don't want that either. I'm not about to go to jail for tampering with the jury. Because I didn't already have enough on my mind about this case. I almost wish you hadn't told me, though I appreciate you being honest."

"I thought for a few seconds about not telling you, but I'm no good at lying to you," I chuckled. "And I don't want to lie to you. Ever again. I lied to you about something huge before and I almost lost you because of it. I don't ever want to put myself in that position again."

She leaned over and kissed me. "You're not going to lose me, babe. I promise. You're stuck with me for life. Unless you cheat on me, which I really don't think I have to worry about, I'm not going anywhere no matter what happens."

I smiled and laughed a little. God, I loved her. How in the world had I gotten this lucky?

"Neither am I," I said, giving her another kiss. "But right now, I'm going to go call the person I'm not supposed to know. And then I'm going to figure out what I actually have in this apartment that I can turn into something edible. We both need to eat."

Aria chuckled. "Okay."

I kissed her one more time and then walked out into the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind me. I pulled out my phone and dialed Mr. White's number.

"Ezra," he answered on the first ring. "I was wondering when you'd call."

"Well, if you were wondering when I was going to call, then you probably know what I'm about to ask you," I said, chuckling tensely.

"You're going to ask me what I was thinking trying to get myself on that jury," he said.

"I was actually going to ask you what _in the hell_ you were thinking, but close enough," I sighed. "Seriously, though, Mark. Do you know how dangerous this is? For all of us?"

"I know. I thought about telling them about my connection to this case for a split second. But I didn't lie. I don't know Aria, and believe it or not, I've never met Alexis either. And if I can do something to help them by being on that jury, I want to do it."

"This is still dangerous. Kevin Thomas found out about my connection to Aria in Rosewood. She turned a recording of her assault that she had the foresight to make over to the police, and my name is mentioned. Not my first name, from what she tells me, but still. It wouldn't take that much digging to find out who I am and where I teach here in Savannah."

He sighed. "Hopefully no one does."

"Hopefully not. I'd hate to see you put in jail for trying to manipulate this trial. Technically I shouldn't even be talking to you right now. I think this is probably considered jury tampering."

"No, not unless Aria talks to me," he said, chuckling a little. "I know I can't talk to her or Alexis or tell them what's going on, but just know your fiancée has a friend on this jury."

"Aria knows. I told her. But she's not going to let anything slip, I promise. She'll keep your secret."

"You sure about that?"

"She'd clean up at a poker game," I chuckled. "I've never met anyone else as good at keeping a straight face as she is."

"Well, tell her when this is all over, I'm very much looking forward to meeting her. And celebrating that schmuck being behind bars."

"Now, wait a second. You're supposed to be impartial."

He laughed. "I'll see you at work when this is over. And if you need a day or two to recover after hearing her testify tomorrow, I'm officially giving permission for it."

"Thanks," I said. "Really, thank you. You're taking a huge risk for someone you've never met. I know Aria appreciates it too."

"Don't mention it," Mr. White said. "I mean it. Really. Don't mention it. To anyone."

I laughed. "I won't. Talk to you later, Mark."

When I hung up, I decided against cooking. It would take too long. What I wanted was just to be with Aria for the rest of the night. So I did the unhealthy thing and ordered takeout. Then I went back into the bedroom, where she was starting to get out of bed.

"What do you think you're doing getting out of bed without your brace?" I asked her.

"Pretty sure the brace can't go in the shower with me," she said, sounding a little frustrated. She hated how much I nagged her about keeping the back brace on.

"Touché," I said, walking up to give her a kiss. "I'd join you, but I just ordered takeout. So I kind of need to wait for it."

"It's probably just as well," Aria sighed. "I'm hurting too much to make this shower take any longer than it has to."

I smiled. "Okay."

When she got out of the shower less than ten minutes later, she was back in bed within five minutes. I could tell she wasn't lying. She was in a world of pain. And I knew that she wouldn't take anything stronger than over-the-counter painkillers without some serious prodding.

"You're not going to like this idea, but you should probably take a hydrocodone tonight," I told her as I got into bed next to her after dinner.

"And be groggy during the trial tomorrow?" she countered. "I'll be fine with ibuprofen."

"Aria, you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and we both know that you're not going to sleep tonight without narcotics. And you're going to be sitting on those wooden benches tomorrow too. I'm pretty sure the chair on the witness stand isn't going to be any more comfortable. You'll be groggy either way, either from the drugs or from lack of sleep. You might as well be groggy and not in pain."

"Damn you and your logic," she sighed. "Give me the drugs."

Well, that hadn't been nearly as hard as I'd thought. She hated the prescription painkillers because of how tired they made her, even after their effectiveness wore off. She must have really been hurting to take one this easily. I got up and got her a pill and some water to take it with.

"You know, as hard as it's going to be watching you testify tomorrow, it's going to be even harder to exercise enough self-control not to kill that son of a bitch with my bare hands," I sighed as I got back into bed and pulled her back against me.

She chuckled a little. "What happened to the part where you'd just rearrange his face and leave him with an even nastier bruise on his back than I had?"

"That was before we knew he actually fractured your spine," I told her. "You do know it kills me to see you in this much pain and not be able to do anything to make it better, right?"

"You're here," Aria said, sitting up enough to give me a kiss. "That's enough."


	11. Trial and Suffering

Chapter Eleven  
 _Trial and Suffering_

 **Ezra**

I walked into the courtroom the next day surrounded by college-aged girls. And one other man, a few years younger than me. Aria looked like she was about to throw up, and I was right there with her. Becca and Kendra looked like they'd rather be anywhere else, and Jordan looked almost as scared as Aria. Depending on how long Aria's testimony took, Jordan would be testifying today too. Alexis wouldn't be testifying today, but she'd insisted on being here for Aria, and Jacob had come too, more for me than for Aria. He'd said he knew I needed someone here in my corner.

Of course, I had someone else here who was in my corner too. But I couldn't talk to him or make eye contact with him or do anything else to let on that I knew him. I still wanted to be mad at Mr. White for getting himself put on this jury, but I couldn't. Because knowing that Aria and the rest of these girls had at least one person on this jury who was on their side was a relief.

I saw him sitting there in the jury box, as close as possible to the witness stand in the front row, looking a little nervous, but surprisingly calm. And suddenly I wanted Aria to know where he was. Just to be able to put a face with the name of the person who was laying it all on the line for her when he'd never even met her. As we sat down in the gallery and she leaned against me as she had yesterday, trying to take pressure off her back, I pulled her close against me and kissed her head, trying to make the fact that I was about to whisper right into her ear as inconspicuous as I could.

"Front row, blue shirt, in front of the witness stand," I hissed as quietly as possible, then kissed her head again to hide what I'd done.

Aria nodded once; she'd understood what I was trying to tell her. Then she re-situated herself so she was as comfortable as she could be on this bench. Once again, I tried to position myself so I was supporting as much of her weight as I could.

Dan walked in about five minutes before court was supposed to be in session and stopped at our row for a second.

"You ready for this, Aria?" he asked.

"No," she sighed. "But I don't have a choice."

He chuckled a little. "Just remember, you're not the one on trial today. No matter what questions the defense asks you. I'll try to field what questions I can, but I'm sure they're going to come up with some reason why your personal life is relevant."

He glanced at me before walking to his table, and I suddenly realized that Aria's history with me was about to come to light. The defense would have a field day with that. Damn it. We had no time to talk about what she was going to say about us if she was asked now. Why in the hell hadn't I thought of this last night? Mr. White knew a very watered-down version of the truth, but Aria didn't know exactly what that was. This was about to get ugly fast. And if too much of the truth came to light, I might not have a job to go back to after this trial. Because my boss was on that jury and he didn't know the whole truth. He thought she and I had started seeing each other after I'd left Rosewood High after the first time and that we just hadn't stopped once I went back there. And he definitely didn't know that I'd actually slept with her while she was my student. That wasn't exactly something I wanted to advertise. While I wasn't ashamed of her or our history, some of that history could make my life very difficult if it came to light now.

Just as I was thinking that this trial was about to take a very unfavorable turn, Aria pulled her cell phone out of her purse and started fiddling around on it. She nudged me in the ribs so I'd look at her and held her phone out so I could see. She'd pulled up our text message thread and typed something into it without hitting send.

 _Don't worry. You'll still have a job when I get off the stand,_ she'd written. _I know what to say._

I had to chuckle a little as I shook my head in amazement. How in the hell had she known that was what was on my mind? I kissed her head again as I whispered right into her ear.

"I love you," I said, not as quietly this time. I didn't need to worry about anyone hearing that.

She deleted what she had written in her phone and wrote something else in its place.

 _Love you too. Thank you for being here._

"Where else would I be?" I whispered, kissing her head again.

Aria chuckled quietly and leaned a little closer against me. And it was at that moment that the bailiff spoke.

"All rise, the Court of the United States, Southern District of Georgia, Savannah Circuit, Criminal Division, is now in session, the honorable Judge Harrison Scott presiding."

We stood as the judge entered the courtroom, and then we were seated almost immediately. The jury was sworn in, and I had to bury my face in Aria's hair to hide a chuckle as Mr. White swore to be impartial in this case. Then the prosecution and the defense both presented their opening arguments. The prosecution told the jury how Kevin Thomas had hurt all of these women and elaborated on how he used his position as an authority figure to intimidate and try to manipulate them. The defense tried to tell a sob story about how something in him had snapped when he'd seen his fiancée being disloyal to him and he had a compulsion now to make other women do the same thing that his fiancée had done to him. Then it was show time.

"Prosecution, you may call your first witness," the judge said.

Aria took a deep breath, seeming like she was steeling herself for what was coming.

"I call Aria Montgomery to the stand," Dan said.

Aria sat up straight and I stood up, then helped her stand. Becca, who was sitting on her other side, grabbed her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. Then I stepped out of the row to let her out. I kissed her temple as she came out, then sat back down, my stomach in knots. I wasn't ready for this.

Aria walked up to the witness stand and the bailiff approached her with a Bible in his hand.

"Please place your right hand on the Bible," he said.

She did.

"State your full name for the record."

"Aria Marie Montgomery."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do," Aria said.

"Thank you. You may be seated," the bailiff said.

Dan walked out from around his table and approached Aria. I noticed that he strategically placed himself so he was blocking her view of Mr. Thomas. That was smart.

"Good morning, Miss Montgomery," he said, suddenly all business. From the second court had been in session this morning, it was like he was a different person.

"Good morning," Aria said, forcing a smile.

"Thank you for coming in to testify today. I'm sure there are plenty of places you'd rather be right now."

Aria chuckled. "There are, but I also want to see justice served. So I'm happy to be here."

"I'll start with an easy question," Dan said, smiling at her. "How did you first come to be acquainted with the defendant, Kevin Thomas?"

"Mr. Thomas was my Introduction to Photography professor at Savannah College of Art and Design last semester."

"And prior to the incident that occurred on December 12th, did Mr. Thomas ever do anything to make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes, he did."

"What did he do?" Dan asked.

"It's hard to explain," Aria said. "He would say things to me that on paper sounded like something a professor might say to a student. But he would put emphasis on certain words or phrase them in a way that made them sound like they were sexually harassing. When the class was in the darkroom he would touch my shoulder or brush up against me when it wasn't necessary. And one time he tried to slip me his personal number."

"Can you give us an example of the types of things he would say to you?"

"Well, for our first assignment, we had to do self-portraits. Basically use the school's cameras that had timers on them and take shots of ourselves. A friend and I were taking some practice shots with my personal digital camera when we ran into him. He asked to see the pictures, and as he was looking through them, he said, 'What you're really looking for in a self-portrait, what's going to make it memorable, is you want to expose yourself. Really let people see you.' Again, on paper, it sounds like something a photography professor might say to a student, but the way he said it and the emphasis he chose to put on certain phrases made it sound like he wasn't talking about being honest or exposing myself through my photos at all."

"Is that the only time he said something suggestive to you?" Dan clarified.

"No, it's not. More than once, as he was offering help to us, he said, 'I'm always available to help take care of your needs.' I guess I don't need to tell you what he made it seem like he meant."

Everyone in the courtroom chuckled, me included. I remembered teasing her that it sounded like I had some competition when she'd told me that. If I'd only known.

"Did you do anything to discourage these, well, for lack of a better word, advances?"

"I tried to remain as distant as I could, and I tried to make sure I was never alone with him. I know it sounds corny, but when he would hand things to me, I made sure to take them with my left hand so he could see I was…unavailable."

"Unavailable?" Dan clarified.

"Yes, unavailable. I'm engaged."

"And you never gave Mr. Thomas any indication that his advances were welcome?"

"No. The opposite. I tried to make it abundantly clear that I wasn't interested."

"Now, Miss Montgomery, can you please explain for the jury the events that led up to the incident in question?"

Aria took a deep breath and glanced at me and her friends. I probably wasn't much encouragement, because I was steeling myself for what was about to happen in a few minutes. I hoped at least one of her friends was able to crack a smile for her, because I was way too stressed out to be able to.

"Well, I'd received my final portfolio back with a low grade at the end of the previous class. I thought he was trying to get me to challenge the grade, because I felt that it deserved a higher grade. But because I felt uncomfortable around him, I decided to take the grade and not do anything about it. During the class before the final exam, we were in the darkroom and making sure our stations were cleaned. Most students in the class got done early and left, but when I tried to leave after cleaning up my station, he asked me to stay. My friend Jordan Blake stayed with me. When everyone else had left, Mr. Thomas asked to see me alone. He specifically said alone. When Jordan tried to stay in the room, he asked her to leave. I told him I didn't mind her hearing anything he had to say to me, but he all but dragged her out the door. As she was leaving, he went to shut the door behind her."

"And what did you do at that point?"

"I pulled out my phone and set it to record. I felt uncomfortable and I knew I would want to have evidence of whatever he was about to say to me."

"People's Exhibit A, Your Honor," Dan said. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I want to apologize to you in advance, because I know that the recording I'm about to play is disturbing. Any of Miss Montgomery's friends or loved ones who are here to support her today, I would like to give you the opportunity to leave the courtroom at this time before I play this."

He paused for a minute to give me and our friends a chance to leave the courtroom if we chose to do so. I thought about it, but I'd made Aria a promise. I'd told her I wouldn't leave, no matter what. So I had to stay. None of our friends budged either. Aria looked me in the eye and then looked at the door; she was trying to tell me it was okay to leave. I shook my head, and she smiled, but it was wrong. She looked sad. I knew she was scared of what hearing this was going to do to me. Hell, I was a little scared of it myself. I really wasn't looking forward to this.

"Miss Montgomery, your friends and your fiancé are very brave," Dan said after a minute. "Okay, this is the recording that Miss Montgomery made of her assault and turned over to police. This has not been altered in any way."

I took a deep breath as he pressed play, and I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked, and it was Becca. I had to smile. She was here for Aria, but I could tell now that she was here for me too. She knew this wasn't going to be easy for me.

"Aria, I want to ask you something," came an unfamiliar voice over the recording, clearly Mr. Thomas.

"What is it, Mr. Thomas?" Aria said over the recording. She'd been smart to use his name, leaving no doubt about who she was talking to.

"Why haven't you challenged the grade I gave you on your final portfolio? You and I both know it's an A-quality portfolio."

"You're the teacher, Mr. Thomas. I'm just the student. If you feel the grade I've earned on that portfolio is a C, I'll accept it and learn from my mistakes. Now I know what to do differently next time."

"Oh, you've only made one mistake this semester, Miss Montgomery. One fatal mistake. Your only mistake has been playing hard-to-get," Mr. Thomas said over the recording.

I tried to take some deep breaths to calm myself down. This was worse than not knowing what was coming. Knowing what I was about to hear in a minute or so made this so much worse. Becca clearly heard me, because she squeezed my shoulder for encouragement.

"I'm not playing at anything," Aria said over the recording. "That's not who I am. You are apparently the only person on this campus who has failed to notice the ring on my left hand. I'm engaged. I'm not hard to get, I'm impossible to get. Because I'm happily taken."

I glanced up at Aria, who looked like she was being put through the worst torture imaginable. There were tears in the corners of her eyes and she was taking deep breaths, like she was trying to keep more from falling.

"Well, Miss Montgomery, there is a way this grade can be improved. Changed to the A you deserve. Something that would be…mutually beneficial to both of us," Mr. Thomas said.

Aria chuckled tensely. "Did you not hear a word I just said? Let me break it down for you. I. Am. Engaged. And I love my fiancé more than I want a grade. So you can take that improved grade and stick it up your ass. Give me an F for all I care. I'm not sleeping with you."

"I think you and I both know this wouldn't be the first time you've…had relations with a teacher," Mr. Thomas said, sounding like he was accusing her of something.

"I have no idea what in the hell you're talking about," Aria scoffed. That was good acting. I almost believed her.

"I took the liberty of making some calls to your old high school. And I heard the rumors about you and a…Mr. Fitz, was it?"

Aria sighed on the recording. "Right. Mr. Fitz. Well, if you heard those rumors, then I'm sure you also heard that he's the man I'm engaged to now. My relationship with him was never about grades."

"Nice try," Mr. Thomas scoffed. "I don't buy that for a second. No high school teacher would actually get engaged to a student he was having an affair with."

"Oh, don't you?" Aria challenged. "Well, believe it. Because it's true. He lives here in Savannah now. He moved here with me because he couldn't stand the idea of being a thousand miles apart. I'd be more than happy to introduce the two of you at your convenience."

Mr. Thomas laughed, sounding like he was cackling with glee.

"Well, I'd like to see what he'd do if he found out he wasn't the only one," he said.

The next thing we heard was someone being slapped in the face. That would have been Aria slapping him when he'd tried to kiss her.

"Try that again," Aria said, her voice shaking. "I dare you."

There was the sound of fabric ripping, and then the clunk of what was probably her purse falling to the ground. And then Aria cried out in pain; clearly that was where he threw her against the table the first time. I winced; this was torture. Becca squeezed my shoulder again, and I tried to hold back tears. Then Aria grunted.

"You bitch," Mr. Thomas hissed. Clearly that was where she'd kneed him in the groin.

There was a racket on the recording, probably where Aria had fallen backwards onto the developing table. And then a bloodcurdling scream that was surely her getting burned by the developing chemicals. I would literally have rather had someone puncture my eardrums and render me deaf than hear that. I tried to choke back tears, but wasn't successful. Becca scooted closer to me and gave me a hug.

There was another grunt, and then Mr. Thomas started coughing. That would have been her kicking him in the groin and then jabbing his throat. Then there was a little bit of rustling and then the sound of a door unlocking and shutting.

"Oh, my God. Aria," came Jordan's voice.

And then Dan stopped the recording. I looked at the jury and they all looked shell-shocked. Mr. White looked like he was trying not to cry. Aria was wiping some tears away, clearly preparing for the next round of questions.

Then I looked at the defense's table. And I could have sworn Mr. Thomas looked…thrilled? Excited? No, that was wrong. Then I realized what it was, and I heaved and literally had to choke back vomit. He was turned on. All of a sudden, I realized his entire defense was bogus. He hadn't snapped seeing his fiancée with that professor thinking it was consensual. No, he'd been aroused by seeing the rape. But watching wasn't enough for him. He'd had to actually do it himself.

"I'm so sorry to make you relive that, Miss Montgomery," Dan said as he walked back up to the stand. "And I'm very sorry, but I do need to ask you some questions about what we heard on that recording."

Aria nodded.

"First, I do want to ask you about your fiancé," he said, sighing a little. He was obviously trying to do some damage control, beating the defense to asking the question. "Mr. Fitz, right? So, he was your teacher in high school?"

"There's a little more to it than that," Aria sniffled, chuckling a little. "We actually met before he started teaching at the high school. And yes, we grew close while he was my teacher. Then he was offered a position at a local college, which he took. He and I started seeing each other after he was no longer my teacher. Unfortunately, my father taught at that college too, and when he found out about us, he first tried to get Mr. Fitz transferred to New Orleans, and when that didn't work like he'd hoped, he got him fired instead. So Mr. Fitz went back to my high school, first as a substitute teacher and then as a full-time teacher again. We actually broke up for a bit when he first went back, but it didn't last for long. We both knew it was dangerous, but we got back together after about a month. Our feelings for each other were very real. And while we walked a very fine line and it was certainly not ethical, we were smarter than to do anything that could cost him his job or land him in jail."

I had to chuckle a little. Damn, she was good. So good I almost believed her myself. And her story was similar enough to what I'd told Mr. White that he wasn't going to ask me any questions when we got back to work.

"And when did you get engaged?" he asked.

"The day after I graduated from high school," she said, smiling a little. This was something she didn't mind talking about. "He told me that he'd gotten a job here in Savannah and was going to be moving with me when I came here for college. And then he asked me to marry him."

"Thank you for clarifying that for us," Dan said, glancing over at the defense. It seemed like he was gloating a little, stealing that question from the defense lawyer. "Now, towards the end of the recording, we heard a lot of struggling. Would you mind telling us exactly what happened at that point in the recording, Miss Montgomery?"

"Well, Mr. Thomas tried to kiss me and I slapped him in the face and dared him to try it again. Then he grabbed the hem of my shirt and ripped it to the point where it was almost falling off of me. I tried to push him off, but he pushed me backwards into the developing table. I stood back up and kneed him in the groin, and he threw me back against the table. That time I landed on the table, and someone hadn't emptied the chemicals out of one of the bins like they were supposed to, and my arm ended up in them. As he was coming back towards me, I kicked him in the groin and then sat up and hit him in the throat. Then I grabbed my purse and ran to unlock the door and get out of the room."

"You're a brave girl," he told her. "And what happened after you left the room?"

"My friend Jordan had been outside waiting for me. She told me that she'd called the police, but I didn't want to stay there and wait for them. So she gave me her jacket to cover up with and took me back to my dorm room. My roommate was there with her girlfriend and as soon as they saw me and I explained what happened, they and Jordan took me to the hospital."

"And do you mind telling us what they diagnosed you with at the hospital?"

"I had second degree chemical burns caused by the photo developing chemicals on my right arm from my elbow all the way down to my pinky and ring fingers. And I had a large visible bruise on my back and what they thought were a few bruised vertebra."

"What they _thought_ were bruised vertebra?"

"Yes. They told me that I would be in a lot of pain for about a week or so while they healed. But when I was still experiencing pain on a pretty regular basis, I decided to go to a walk-in clinic last week. They took another round of x-rays there and found that the ER doctor had missed a hairline fracture in one of my vertebrae. That's why I'm wearing this back brace today."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Miss Montgomery. Thank you for sharing with us. Nothing further," Dan said, walking back to the prosecution's table.

"We'll take a fifteen-minute recess before cross-examination," the judge said, banging his gavel to free everyone from the courtroom.

Aria stepped down off the witness stand and all but ran back to the gallery. I, of course, was waiting for her with open arms. We just stood there for a minute, Aria burying her face in my chest and me resting my head on top of hers. It seemed like neither of us really knew what to say. Finally, after what felt like an eternity and only a second at the same time, Aria pulled back to look at me.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

I didn't quite know how to answer that. _Was_ I okay? Well, while I was sitting there listening to that recording I certainly hadn't been. And while I was listening to her answering questions about it afterwards I wasn't. But now? With her here with me, being reminded that she'd survived it? It made things better, that was for sure. I wasn't sure if I would call myself okay, though.

"Not really," I sighed. "But I'm a little better now."

"I'm so sorry you had to hear that," she said, her voice catching. "I wish you would have left the room."

"I made you a promise," I reminded her. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere. And I meant it. As long as you're in this courtroom, this is where I'm going to be too."

"What did I do to get this lucky?" she sighed, resting her head on my chest again.

I kissed her hair. "I think you have that backwards. I'm the lucky one."

"I really don't want to, but I probably need to get back up there," Aria said. "God, I'm not looking forward to this."

"Well, look at it this way. You're halfway done," I said.

"Yeah, and then it's my turn to be in the hot seat," Jordan said.

"Somehow I doubt they're going to ask you a bunch of questions about your love life that are absolutely none of their business," Aria said, chuckling tensely.

"Technically, you only got asked two questions about it. Which you answered brilliantly," I said, kissing her forehead.

"I get the feeling that's not going to be the end of it, though. I'm sure the defense will have a question or two of their own, and theirs won't be as easy to answer."

"Well, Dan did say he was going to field their questions as best he could," Jordan reminded her. "If they get too far off track, he can always object to the line of questioning. And I'm sure he will. Quite frankly, your relationship with Ezra has zero bearing on this case. You've provided a statement about it to explain yourself. But whether you're engaged to your former teacher or the man in the moon doesn't matter. This is about Mr. Thomas, not the two of you. If you have to remind the defense of that, do it."

"What she said," Dan said as he walked past us. "You're doing great, Aria. The jury loves you. Just keep doing what you're doing. And if the defense asks you so much as one more question about Ezra, I promise I will object to it. You've provided a statement, which is more than you needed to do. Frankly, like Jordan mentioned, it has no bearing on this case whatsoever. It's just a diversionary tactic to try to distract the jury from the fact that they just heard a nineteen-year-old getting assaulted on recording. Anyway, I hate to tear you away from your friends and fiancé, but you do need to get back on the stand."

Aria sighed. "Okay."

I pulled her back in for one more hug and kissed her hair.

"You can do this," I told her. "And if you need somewhere to look, there's a whole row full of people who love you right here."

Aria smiled as I let her go and then walked back up to the stand, sitting back in the chair. And as soon as we were back in session, it was the defense's turn to question her. The defense attorney walked out from behind his table.

"Well, that's certainly a very moving story you just told, Miss Montgomery," he said. "And a very heart-wrenching piece of evidence. I am sorry for what you've been through."

"Thank you, Mr. Crawford," Aria said, clearly apprehensive. "I appreciate that."

"I did want to ask you one more question about Mr. Fitz, if I may."

"What's that?" Aria asked.

"Well, on that recording, Mr. Thomas alluded to certain details about your relationship that you never confirmed or denied. I just wanted to…clear the air, I suppose. Was your relationship with your fiancé ever sexual in nature while he was your teacher?"

And there it was. The one question I was hoping he wouldn't ask, and clearly the question Aria was worried about too. She had, after all, sworn to tell the truth. But luckily, Dan spoke up within a nanosecond.

"Objection," he said. "Miss Montgomery has made a statement about her history with her fiancé for the sake of clarification, but the reality is that the details of their relationship are between the two of them and have absolutely no bearing on the charges against Mr. Thomas."

"Sustained," the judge said. "Move on, counselor."

"Apologies," Mr. Crawford said. "Now, Miss Montgomery, at what point did you mention to Mr. Thomas that you were engaged and were not interested in his advances?"

"I made it perfectly clear every chance I got," Aria said, sounding confused.

"Right, I know you flashed your ring at him whenever you could, but at what point did you actually say the words 'I am engaged' to him?"

Aria looked like she was thinking about it for a second, obviously trying to remember when she'd first said that to him.

"I suppose it was the day he assaulted me," she said.

"So, you never actually said no to these advances until that point?"

"I made it abundantly clear that I wasn't interested," she repeated.

"With body language and trying to act distant," he shot back. "But did you ever say the words 'please stop' or 'I'm not interested' to him?"

"I guess not," she said. "But only an idiot would have thought I was even remotely interested in his advances based on how I acted towards him."

"But in his altered mental state, could Mr. Thomas have thought that you were interested in his advances but not trying to be obvious about it? That you were, in his words, 'playing hard-to-get'?"

"I don't know what he could have thought," Aria spat. "I'm not him, and I'm not a psychologist."

"That's right. You're not. You're a barely-legal young girl alone at college for the first time and playing house with your former high school teacher."

Wow. He was almost as sleazy as his client. Where had Mr. Thomas found this guy? I had to stifle an uncomfortable chuckle, and I heard Becca, Kendra, and Jordan doing the same.

"Objection. Is there a question in there, Your Honor?" Dan asked.

"Well, counselor?" the judge asked. "Is there?"

"Withdrawn," Mr. Crawford said immediately. "Nothing further."

Well, that was actually brilliant, if underhanded. Though the statement was technically withdrawn, the jury couldn't un-hear it. And the intention was clearly to make Aria seem like she was just a foolish child who didn't know how to handle herself around men. Which obviously was the farthest thing from the truth imaginable.

"Miss Montgomery, you may step down," the judge said.

Aria couldn't have gotten off that witness stand any faster if she'd tried. I stepped out of the row to let Jordan out and let her back in and pulled her in for a hug when she got back.

"You did it," I whispered as I kissed her temple. "You were amazing. I'm so proud of you."

Aria smiled uncomfortably as we sat back down and she leaned against me, clearly in pain after sitting in that chair on the witness stand.

"I'm just glad it's over," she sighed. "That defense attorney is a piece of work."

"No joke," I agreed. "Almost as much as his client."

Jordan testified next, as both a character witness for Aria and a witness to Mr. Thomas's treatment of her throughout the semester. And of course, as a witness to most of what happened on the date in question. After her testimony and cross-examination, we broke for lunch. And after lunch, the ER doctor who had treated Aria testified to her condition when she got to the hospital and confirmed that it was entirely possible that they could have missed a hairline fracture on her spine due to the swelling that was present when she was admitted. And finally, the police officer who took Aria's statement testified and explained what the police found on Mr. Thomas's computer. They played the video of Aria's assault, which was even harder to swallow than the recording, if that was possible. Aria actually told me I was hurting her with how tight I squeezed her when they played the video.

When we got back to my apartment after court, Aria predictably immediately changed out of her brace and the clothes she was wearing and got into bed. I also changed into more comfortable clothes, and just as I was about to get in next to her, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Mr. White.

 _Please do me a favor and take tomorrow off. You don't need to be teaching with that on your mind. Hope she's okay. She was very brave today. And brilliant. Please delete this as soon as you've read it._

 _You don't need to ask me twice_ , I wrote back. _And it's gone._

I deleted his text and my response, then climbed into bed next to Aria.

"Am I going to sound like a possessive and overprotective psycho if I ask you to stay home from school tomorrow?" I asked her. "There's no way I can go to work, and I honestly don't want to let you out of my sight if I can help it."

"No," she sighed, still facing away from me. "I need a mental health day tomorrow too."

"Tell me the truth," I pressed. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I just got to watch you get put through agony by having to listen to and watch me getting assaulted by a professor. And I had to relive it and answer questions about it. I'm about the farthest thing from okay there is. I honestly don't even know how to deal with how I'm feeling right now. I don't have words for it. You?"

"I've been better," I admitted. "Today was one of the worst days of my life."

"Is there any chance you'll ever be able to look at me without seeing that video footage or hearing that recording?" she asked. "Are we ever going to get past this?"

That was a fair question. It would take me a little while to get over what I'd seen and heard today; she clearly knew that. But it had absolutely no effect on what I saw when I looked at her. I kissed her head and gently rolled her over so she had to look at me.

"Listen to me, Aria," I said. "When I look at you, I see the incredibly strong, courageous, and beautiful woman I fell in love with. I see the woman who, from the second I met her, has made me question everything I thought I knew. Everything I thought I wanted. The woman who completely changed who I am as a person, who inspires and challenges me every day to be a better man. And most of all, I see the woman that I cannot wait to be married to. Nothing I saw or heard today changes that."

"How could it not? How do you not see me differently after today?"

"Do you remember telling me the day after Mr. Thomas did this to you that you weren't going to give him the power to break you?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Well, I'm not going to give him that power either," I told her. "I'm not going to let him break me or break us. He doesn't get to have the power to change what I see when I look at the woman I love."

Aria didn't respond for a few seconds. Then, instead of speaking, she kissed me.

"I'm not going to lie, I feel kind of broken right now," she sighed a minute later.

"Well, lucky for you, I've always been pretty good at fixing things," I teased as I kissed her again.

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounded?" she chuckled.

"And the fact that you can come up with a jab at me shows you're not quite as broken as you thought."

"Oh, I could make fun of you even if I was almost dead," Aria shot back. "You're just that easy to make fun of."

I laughed, and it seemed that hearing me laugh was the last straw for Aria too, because she started laughing with me. I was glad. I hadn't heard her laugh, really laugh, in far too long. Not since we'd gotten back from Pennsylvania. And hearing it again, today of all days, gave me hope. We would be fine. We'd get through this together and move on, just like we always had. No one had the power to break us or destroy what we had together. We were stronger than that.


	12. Natural Responses

Chapter Twelve  
 _Natural Responses_

 **Aria**

Two weeks later, I walked back into the darkroom at Savannah College of Art and Design for the first time since my assault. I was fine for a minute, but then all of a sudden, without warning, everything that had happened in this darkroom came flooding back like it was yesterday. I couldn't catch a breath and I felt like I was going to pass out or throw up. Or throw up and then pass out. I suddenly felt very claustrophobic and it seemed like the walls were closing in around me.

"You okay, Aria?" Jordan asked. Her voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of the room, even though I knew she was standing right next to me.

"No," I gasped. "I can't do this."

"Come on, come back outside with me," she said, taking my arm and leading me out the door. "Okay, sit down and put your head between your knees. I know it sounds weird, but it works."

I sat down on the cold tile floor and put my head between my knees like she instructed. It felt like there was a hundred-pound weight on my chest and I physically couldn't catch a breath. Jordan sat down next to me and put a hand on my back.

"Take slow, deep breaths," she said.

"I can't," I choked out. "I'm going to be sick."

"Yes, you can," Jordan told me. "Just concentrate on my voice. Don't pay attention to anything else. Now, breathe in."

I gasped in a breath of air.

"Let it out slowly."

I did my best to obey, but it came out more like a puff. The weight was still there on my chest and it wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

"Try it again. Take a deep breath."

I did.

"Let it out slowly. Concentrate on it and make it slow and even."

I did, and it was a little easier than it had been the first time.

"Keep doing that," Jordan said, rubbing my back. "You're okay. You don't have to go in there if you can't handle it. Mr. Sawyer already told you he'd work with you if you needed him to."

A couple of minutes went by and I was able to slow my breathing, but when I tried to pick my head up from between my knees, I felt like I would throw up.

"Aria?" I heard Mr. Sawyer's voice, but I didn't look up at him. "Are you all right?"

I just shook my head. I still couldn't talk.

"She had a panic attack when she walked into the darkroom," Jordan told him. "I don't think she can do this today."

"You don't have to say anything or even look at me, Aria," Mr. Sawyer said. It sounded like he had crouched down so he was at my level. "I just want you to nod yes or no. Can you do that?"

I nodded. I could do that. As long as I didn't have to pick my head up.

"Did you take the photos for the assignment?" he asked.

I nodded again. I'd done it. Until I'd walked in there a few minutes ago, I had genuinely thought I would be okay to go back into the darkroom and develop them.

"Do you trust Jordan to develop them for you?"

I nodded yes again. I trusted Jordan with my life. I had no problem letting her develop my pictures.

"Can you tell me where they are?"

I slowly picked my head up, and while I felt a wave of nausea, I surprisingly was able to keep myself from throwing up. I grabbed my roll of film out of my messenger bag and handed it to Jordan.

"Jordan, do you mind giving Aria and I a minute?" Mr. Sawyer asked. "As long as you're okay with that, Aria. I know what happened the last time a professor asked to speak with you alone."

"It's fine," I said quietly. I trusted Mr. Sawyer. "I'll be okay, Jordan."

"I'm going to call Ezra," she said.

As much as I really needed Ezra right now, he'd missed too much work because of me already. And I knew that if Jordan called him and told him I'd had a panic attack when I went into the darkroom, he'd leave immediately. I didn't want him to risk his job like that.

"No, don't call him at work," I told her. "I'll call him when he gets off."

"Just promise me you're not going to drive yourself to his place," Jordan said. "I don't want you driving like this."

"I promise," I said. "I'll have Becca drive me or I'll have him pick me up when school gets out."

"Okay," she said. "I'll get these pictures developed for you."

"Thanks, Jordan," I said.

"You don't have to thank me," Jordan told me as she walked back into the darkroom. "What are friends for?"

As soon as she walked in, I turned back to Mr. Sawyer, who was now sitting down next to me. Just that gesture alone gave me a whole new level of respect for him. He'd quickly turned into my favorite professor already, but the fact that he'd brought himself down to my level and sat down on the floor outside the darkroom to talk to me while I was recovering from a panic attack was pretty admirable.

"Aria, why didn't you say something to me?" he asked me. "I told you to come to me if you didn't think you could do this."

"I honestly thought I'd be okay up until I walked in there," I told him. "I had no idea I was going to have a flashback like that. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I should have insisted on you using a digital camera for this first assignment at least. I would have been surprised if this hadn't happened. If you'd just gone back in there like nothing happened so soon after you were assaulted."

"This isn't the first terrible thing to happen to me," I sighed. "I've been through a lot of stuff in my life, but none of it has affected me like this."

"This kind of trauma is different from any other kind. It's personal and it affects you like nothing else can. I know from experience. I had to watch my wife…well, at the time, my girlfriend, go through what you're going through years ago," he told me.

"Really?" I asked, shocked.

"Really," he said. "That's why I know it's going to be a long process for you. And that's okay. There's no reason to push yourself to do things you're not comfortable with. You don't have to prove anything to me. I know you're a gifted photographer. Do you want to know how many first-year students' photographs I've published since I started editing for that magazine five years ago?"

"How many?" I asked.

"Two. Yours and one other student's. A student I believe you know. Alexis Brooks. Alexis Fisher when I knew her. She did amazingly compelling still life photos. And she also had to use a digital camera for my class the semester after Mr. Thomas assaulted her. I actually tried to push the dean to fire him after what happened to her, because I could tell that she'd been telling the truth about it. I saw her exhibiting all the classic signs of PTSD that I'd seen in my wife. But the dean still wouldn't take her word over his. And there was nothing I could do but allow him to keep teaching here. I had no authority to fire him. So, in a way, I feel responsible for what happened to you. Because I couldn't stop him," Mr. Sawyer sighed.

"It's not your fault," I told him. "It's his fault. He's the one who did this to me and Alexis and the other dozen students, probably more."

He smiled. "You're wise beyond your years. But please do me a favor. Use a digital camera for this class. If you don't have a high resolution photo printer, just turn the memory card in to me and I'll print them out. At least for a few assignments. And after a little while, when and if you feel ready, you can try the darkroom again. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

"I'm going to excuse you from class for the day. Go get some rest and relax. You were technically here, so that's what my attendance records will reflect," he chuckled. "But before you go, I did want to give you something."

"What?" I asked.

He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a few magazines, then opened one of them and held it out to me. It was the page that my article started on. Then he flipped it to the cover. Not only had he had the photos and article published, he'd made them a feature.

"Congratulations," he said. "You are officially a published photographer. And writer."

I laughed. "Oh, my God."

"Here's a few copies. Figured you'd want to give copies to your family and your fiancé and keep one for yourself."

"Thank you," I said, putting the magazines in my messenger bag and slowly standing up. I still felt a little nauseous and I was kind of dizzy.

"You are more than welcome. Go get some rest. Do you have any more classes today?"

"No, this is my last one."

"Good," Mr. Sawyer said. "I'll see you on Thursday. Since we're developing then too, I'll come up with something else for you to do."

"Okay," I said. "I really appreciate this. Thank you. I'll see you then."

When I got back to my dorm room, I was a little surprised to find Becca and Ezra both sitting there. But not that surprised. Something had told me Jordan wouldn't listen to me. And honestly I was kind of glad she hadn't listened. I needed Ezra right now.

"I'll leave y'all," Becca said. "Aria, call me if you need me."

She walked out the door and shut it behind her without another word. She'd probably left her class specifically to let him in. And she had another class after this period.

"Hey," I said, walking up to sit next to Ezra on my bed; he leaned back against the wall and pulled me in for a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Jordan texted me," he said.

I chuckled; that sounded exactly like her. Finding some way around what I'd specifically told her not to do. I'd told her not to call Ezra, but I hadn't said anything about texting him.

"What?" he asked, chuckling with me.

"That's Jordan for you. I told her not to call you, but I didn't say anything about texting you. If I'd told her not to do either of those, she'd probably have sent you a message on Facebook."

Ezra chuckled again and kissed my hair, squeezing me a little tighter. We just sat there in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No; what I want to talk about is you leaving work _again_ because of me," I scolded. "This is becoming a thing. And it's a thing that could cost you your job."

"It's a job," Ezra said. "There are plenty more of them out there. There's only one of you. And _you_ are the reason I moved to Savannah. Now, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to drag it out of you?"

"I don't really know what happened. I walked back into the darkroom and everything just came flooding back like it was yesterday. And I had a panic attack," I sighed.

"How'd the professor handle it?" he asked.

"He asked why I hadn't come to him earlier, and I told him I didn't realize it would be an issue. Which was true. I thought I was okay. And then he told me that his wife went through this years ago, so he knew it was going to be a long process and it was okay. He told me he wanted me to use my digital camera at least for the next few assignments and then if I felt ready again after a little while I could try the darkroom again."

"What about this assignment?"

"Jordan's going to develop the pictures for me."

"Good," he sighed. "How are you now?"

"I'm a little dizzy and still kind of feel like I'm going to throw up, but besides that, I think I'm okay."

"You okay to walk to the car?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. I'm just going to grab my American Government stuff and my computer. I have an assignment to do before Thursday."

I grabbed my binder and textbook and threw them into my messenger bag, then got my laptop packed up. And then we left and Ezra drove me back to his place. As soon as we walked in the door, I remembered that I hadn't shown him the magazine yet. I sat down on the couch, and he went to start a pot of coffee.

"It's like you don't know me at all," I teased.

Ezra laughed a little as he kissed my forehead and sat down next to me, pulling me against him.

"I've picked up a thing or two over the past couple years," he told me. "But anyone who's known you for longer than ten minutes would know that coffee helps calm you down."

"I almost forgot. I have something to show you," I said, sitting back up and pulling one of the magazines out of my messenger bag. I opened it to the right page before handing it to him.

He took it from me and I immediately saw an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. I hadn't seen him this happy since we were planning the wedding in Pennsylvania.

"Oh, my God," he said, half-laughing.

"I had no idea he was going to make it a feature," I said. It was true.

"This is amazing, Aria," he told me, giving me a kiss. "Congratulations. If you're not up to it today, it's fine, but this calls for celebration. You're a published photographer."

"And writer," I giggled, glad to see him so happy. "But while I'm trying not to lose my lunch after having a panic attack is probably not the best time to celebrate."

"Fair enough," Ezra chuckled. "But it is happening. Regardless of everything else that's going on right now. Or maybe because of it. We need to remember there are still things in our life to be happy about. Such as…making the final payment on the wedding venue this Friday."

"That's more of a cause for celebration than my getting published in a scholastic magazine that no one's going to read," I laughed.

"Hey, the first time I got published, it was in something a lot less professional than this. This is something to be proud of," Ezra insisted. "Is this your only copy?"

"No, you can keep that one if you want it. I've got a couple more. Though in about five months my copy will be yours too."

Ezra laughed and kissed me again. "I'm way too impatient to wait five months."

And that was the point at which I was jolted back to reality by my phone buzzing with a text from Dan.

 _You asked me to tell you when Mr. Thomas would be testifying,_ he'd written. _Looks like it'll happen tomorrow if you want to come._

I sighed. "And we're back to the real world. And our real problems."

"What is it?" Ezra asked.

"That was Dan. Mr. Thomas is testifying tomorrow. I'd told him I wanted to be there when that happened. But after today, I'm trying to figure out if I can handle it. I want to go, but I also don't want a repeat of this afternoon. Believe it or not, panic attacks aren't a whole lot of fun."

"It's your decision," he said. "I'm not going to try to sway you one way or the other. But if you do want to go, I'm going with you."

"I need to think about it," I told him. "Give me an hour. I know you'll need to call for a sub if we're going, but I just need some time."

"You can even have two hours," Ezra told me, kissing my temple. "And in that two hours, I think you should call your parents to tell them about the magazine."

I laughed. "Okay, I will."

Before calling my mom, I texted Jordan.

 _Thank you for figuring out a way around what I told you not to do. I did need him today. Staying at his place tonight. By the way, Mr. Thomas is testifying tomorrow. Deciding if I can handle going._

She texted back almost immediately.

 _I could tell you did. And let me know if you guys decide to go to the trial tomorrow. I'll go with you._

I called my mom then and talked to her about the magazine, of course promising to give her the other spare copy I had when she and the girls got here next weekend. I couldn't believe it was already coming up on the weekend I was going to go wedding dress shopping with my mom and friends. This was insane. I wasn't getting cold feet or anything, but it was just all happening so fast.

I told my mom about my panic attack and the trial tomorrow too. I needed advice and Ezra was refusing to give it. Just kept telling me it was my decision. She told me she thought I should go to the trial. Because what was going to help me more than anything else would be a sense of closure. And going to the trial to see him testify would give me that. Or at least the beginnings of it. What would really give me closure would be when I saw him get convicted and get sentenced to years and years behind bars.

The next day, Jordan, Ezra, and I were at the courthouse. I'd thought about not coming for Mr. Thomas's testimony, but then I'd realized my mom was right and I'd regret it if I didn't come. So, while I felt a little like throwing up, we were here and we weren't going anywhere until he testified.

"Are you sure about this, Aria?" Jordan asked. "You look a little green."

"I'm sure," I insisted. "I need the closure. And I know hearing him testify isn't going to be some magic cure but I feel like I need to be here for this."

"Okay," she said.

"Remember what you promised yesterday," Ezra said. "If you need to leave, tell us. There's no reason for you to push yourself."

"I know," I told him. "I promise."

It was sweet how concerned he was about me after my panic attack yesterday but it felt like he was taking this to an extreme. Like he was being a little too protective. But I wasn't going to say anything. Because as annoying as it was, I would rather have had this than him not trying to protect me from things that would hurt me.

Dan walked into the courtroom and stopped when he saw us.

"Aria, Jordan," he said. "You came."

"Yeah," I sighed. "I know it sounds weird, but I feel like I need to be here for this."

Dan took a deep breath. "I think I know how to unravel his defense. And I'm not sure you want to be here for it."

"Hey, if it's going to unravel his defense and make it easier for the jury to convict him, I am all for it," I told him.

He sat down in the row in front of us and turned back around so he was facing us. He took another deep breath before speaking again.

"The more I see of him during this trial, the more I look at his body language, the more I think his entire defense is hogwash," he started. "I don't know where he and his attorney came up with it, but it was evident to me when you girls were on the stand that he was enjoying it. Making you relive it, the spectacle, everything."

"I thought I was the only one who saw that," Ezra said, shaking his head. "I didn't want to say anything in case I was misinterpreting what I saw. I'm pretty biased. But I saw it when Aria was on the stand. He was…maybe enjoying it all a little too much?"

I had to stop myself from laughing. Ezra was all tact. Or maybe he spent too much time around his students. Either way, that was certainly one way of saying he was turned on by it. And I could have sworn I saw that too. But, just like him, I hadn't wanted to say anything in case I was reading it wrong. Apparently I hadn't been the only one who noticed it though.

"Indeed," Dan agreed. "You're all about to see a very different side of me today. But a side I know you'll appreciate when it's over."

He got up and walked to the front of the courtroom, and court was called to session shortly afterwards.

"Defense, you may call your next witness," the judge said.

"I call Kevin Thomas," Mr. Crawford said.

Mr. Thomas walked up to the witness stand and put his hand on the Bible like he was instructed.

"State your name for the record," the bailiff said.

"Kevin Anthony Thomas."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Thank you. You may be seated."

Mr. Thomas sat down, and when he saw me and Jordan in the gallery, I could have sworn he shot us a smug smile. I took a deep breath and leaned further against Ezra. Ezra kissed my hair and tightened his arm around me.

"Mr. Thomas, can you describe for us what happened towards the end of your junior year at Savannah College of Art and Design?" Mr. Crawford began.

"Of course," he said. "I was engaged to another student there. We were young and perhaps a little foolish, but in love. And one day, right before final exams, I arrived to my fiancée's classroom so I could take her out to lunch and I found her…with…her professor."

"Can you clarify that for us, Mr. Thomas?"

"I walked into the classroom and saw my fiancée having sex with her professor."

"Now, we heard from your fiancée a few days ago, and she has stated that what you saw that day was not an act of consent. Did you realize that at the time?"

"No, I had no idea," Mr. Thomas said. "She tried to tell me afterwards, but I was stubborn and I couldn't wrap my head around it. I broke off the engagement. Knowing now that she was telling the truth kills me. Knowing that I abandoned her when she desperately needed someone to lean on."

I shook my head. What a piece of work. What man would honestly believe that the woman who had agreed to spend the rest of her life with him had cheated on him with no hesitation? Well, I knew the answer to that. He was lying. He'd known it wasn't consensual.

"Now, Mr. Thomas, can you describe your state of mind after these events occurred?" Mr. Crawford asked.

"I was devastated and heartbroken. And I tried to comfort myself by telling myself that I wasn't the first person to have the woman he loved be disloyal to him."

"So, when you started teaching there at the school a few short years later, how did that devastation manifest itself?"

"In my grief, I thought to myself that there had to be a point at which any woman would cheat on the man she was committed to. So I tried to prove that to myself by trying to get my students who were in committed relationships to be disloyal to their partners with me."

"Well, how did you find the students who were in committed relationships? Did you just ask all of them?"

"No. I specifically sought out students who wore engagement rings. That was enough to tell me that they were committed to their partners."

I scoffed quietly, and I heard Ezra do the same. I looked to my other side and Jordan was shaking her head. I couldn't believe any member of the jury would actually buy this wildly concocted story.

"And how did you go about trying to get them to be disloyal?" Mr. Crawford asked.

"I would make passes at them and come on to them all semester long. If that wasn't enough by the end of the semester, which many times it was, I would give them a bad grade on their final portfolio and then tell them the grade could be improved if they…slept with me."

"And if they didn't agree to?"

"I hated them. I hated their fiancés for having what I couldn't have: someone who was loyal to them. And I wanted to make them suffer the way I'd suffered. So I raped the girls, or at least tried to."

"Now that you have been put on medication and have been seeing a mental health specialist, how do you feel about this?"

"I'm utterly ashamed of myself. I wish more than anything that I could do something to make up for what I did to those girls, but I know I can't," Mr. Thomas said, doing a terrible job of faking remorse.

I called bullshit on that one. And even if he was telling the truth, he was right about one thing. He couldn't do anything to make this right. For me or Alexis or any of the other girls. We'd have to live with what he'd done to us for the rest of our lives. We were just lucky enough to have people in our lives who loved us unconditionally and supported us while we worked through it.

"Thank you," Mr. Crawford said. "Nothing further."

Well, that hadn't taken very long. I wondered what Mr. Crawford's strategy was. Maybe he was trying to limit Mr. Thomas's time on the stand? Dan looked like half his job had already been done for him when he walked up to the stand. He snuck a quick glance at us and took a deep breath.

"Well, Mr. Thomas, that's certainly a very heart-wrenching story you tell about your former fiancée," he began. "But she tells a very different one. She tells a story where she was raped by her professor and then when you tried to get her to perform similar acts to what you'd seen that day and she wouldn't even go to bed with you at all, let alone perform those acts, you left her. Rather than be a supportive future husband while your fiancée was trying to recover from the physical and emotional trauma of being forced into having sex against her will, you tried to get her to perform violent sexual acts and then broke off the engagement when you didn't get what you wanted. Can you explain the stark difference between these two stories?"

"She's obviously bitter with me for abandoning her in her time of need," Mr. Thomas said. "So she's trying to twist the facts to suit her goal of making me suffer as she did."

"The thing is, the _evidence_ , the facts that we as a court look at, aligns more with her story. After seeing her injuries, which we have seen photos of, how could you possibly think what you'd seen that day was consensual?" Dan challenged.

"I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Obviously not. Now, let me ask you, when you decided to go about proving to yourself that any woman would cheat on the man she was committed to, how many of your students willingly cheated on their fiancés with you?"

"I don't know," he said. "I can't recall."

"You mean to tell me that you singled out these students, made them your special projects, and you can't recall how many of them actually did what you claim to have wanted them to do?" Dan said.

"No, I can't," he said. "It was quite a few."

"Really? Can you tell me some of their names?"

Oh, Dan was good. He was really good. I had a feeling I could see where he was going with this, and it was freaking brilliant.

"I can't recall their names," Mr. Thomas said, seeming to fumble.

"Okay, I understand this is a stressful setting and perhaps details like the names of the students you made objects of your so-called social experiment might slip your mind right now. Let me ask you another question. Why did you film these encounters?"

"As proof of my hypothesis."

Yep, Dan was going right where I thought he was going. This was insane. Completely and totally genius, but insane.

"Well, I am quite confused now, Mr. Thomas. Because, you see, we found the files of all of the videos you made on your computer. You'd saved them in an encrypted folder. And the thing is, I can't recall seeing a single encounter on those videos, which I watched every disgusting, nauseating, heart-wrenching second of, that looked consensual. Were those in a different folder that we didn't find?"

I heard Ezra chuckling quietly. He thought this was as crazy and brilliant as I did. This was better than prime time television.

As for Mr. Thomas, he was struggling to find something to say.

"I can't recall what happened to those videos, but I can assure you they were there," Mr. Thomas stuttered.

"Are you sure about that?" Dan pressed. "Because we searched that entire computer with a fine-toothed comb, and the only thing we found were videos like this."

I buried my face in Ezra's chest as Dan hit play on a remote control. I knew what he was going to be showing, and I didn't need to see it. Ezra hugged me tight and I could feel his breath in my hair; he'd hidden his eyes too. He didn't want to see this either.

"So, Mr. Thomas, I have a new hypothesis for you," Dan said.

I risked a peek out, and Dan had stopped the video. I turned back towards the witness stand to continue watching this train wreck happen.

"My new hypothesis," Dan continued, "is that you knew what you saw that day with your fiancée was not an act of consent. And something about that excited you. When she would not participate in your rape fantasies in bed, you broke up with her. And suddenly a fantasy wasn't enough. You had to see what it felt like. And you filmed these assaults so you could keep reliving it over and over again. Does that sound closer to the truth, Mr. Thomas?"

"No!" Mr. Thomas yelled, standing up right there on the stand.

Just like that, Mr. Thomas's entire defense unraveled. Because Dan had showed that video for a reason. Mr. Thomas could lie, but his body couldn't. He couldn't prevent a natural physical reaction to the video. And oh, was it there. Clear as day.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked. "Because that's not an _objection_ you're raising right now."

I couldn't help the startled chuckle that escaped me, and I heard Ezra and Jordan doing the same thing. Matter of fact, most of the jury did too. Especially Mr. White. Dan had been right. This was definitely a whole new side of him. But a side I was immensely grateful for. He'd just won this case for us.

"Your Honor, I need a minute to confer with my client," Mr. Crawford said, looking completely shocked.

"Denied," the judge said.

"Oh, he can have it, Your Honor," Dan said, clearly gloating. "Nothing further."

"We'll take a fifteen minute recess," the judge said, sounding as baffled as the rest of us.

It took a minute for any of us to find something to say. Jordan was the first one to speak up.

"So…should we break out the champagne and sparkling cider now? Or should we wait for the official verdict?" she said.

Ezra and I started laughing, and Dan, who was walking towards us, laughed too.

"I don't think it would matter either way," I said, still laughing. "There's your guilty verdict. Signed, sealed, and delivered. Dan, that was brilliant. Completely insane, but brilliant."

Dan chuckled. "I was just hoping his lawyer wasn't going to object and claim I was badgering him."

"He was probably as speechless as the rest of us," Ezra said. "I'm still trying to convince myself I actually just saw what I think I saw."

"Oh, you saw it," I told him. "And I'm pretty sure the jury got a good look at it too."

Ezra chuckled again and kissed my hair. I could tell he was thrilled, if a little shell-shocked.

"He almost made that too easy," Jordan said. "I mean, really."

"He did," Dan chuckled. "I thought it would take a lot longer than that to get the truth out. And now he's got a count of perjury against him too."

When court reconvened, Mr. Thomas's lawyer asked if they could resume tomorrow, as he needed time to confer with his expert witness and his client needed an emergency session with his therapist. The judge hesitantly agreed, so the last thing the jury remembered about the day was Mr. Thomas standing up and contradicting his own testimony by showing the jury his...reaction to seeing what he'd done.


	13. Closure

Chapter Thirteen  
 _Closure_

 **Aria**

I pulled up to Ezra's apartment on Friday feeling like something was up. It was Valentine's Day, so obviously we were spending it together. But he'd been weird the last couple of days. Wednesday when we were at his apartment after court, he'd gotten a phone call and wouldn't tell me who it was. But after he hung up, he said that something had come up and he couldn't go to my follow-up appointment for my back with me the next day. I could tell he'd felt bad about it, but he had also seemed really excited about something. And today he'd specifically asked me to wait until six to come over rather than just coming over after I got out of class.

Becca had gone to my appointment with me yesterday since I didn't want to be alone. I was kind of afraid of what the doctor would say since I was supposed to go wedding dress shopping next weekend. I didn't want to be wearing a back brace for that. But as it turned out, part of Ezra's present today would be seeing that I'd been given the okay to stop wearing it. My back wasn't at 100% yet but it was getting there. And it was better enough that they'd told me I should stop wearing the brace and start easing myself back into normal activities. Though they did tell me I should keep it and use it if I started to feel any pain again.

Ezra and I had agreed not to do gifts this Valentine's Day. I'd made him agree to it because we were trying to pay for a wedding, which was romantic enough. I hadn't kept up my end of the agreement, but I also hadn't spent a ton of money on it. I'd just had a couple of his favorite pictures I'd taken last semester framed for him. He'd mentioned he wanted copies to put in his office at work (which may or may not have been turning into a shrine to me). Based on his behavior the past couple of days, I guessed that he hadn't kept up his end of the bargain either, and I had a feeling I'd be mad at him for a minute before I'd actually be able to appreciate whatever he was doing. Because I had a feeling he was doing something huge.

Ezra was standing outside the apartment building waiting for me when I got there and I could swear he looked like he was bouncing in place. Like a little kid. I hadn't seen him this excited about anything in a long time.

"Hey," I said as I got out of my car. "Happy Valentine's Day."

I gave him a kiss, which quickly turned into something that made me hope none of his neighbors were pulling up. Yeah, he was definitely up to something. When he finally let me go, I took a step back so he could really see me.

"Notice anything different?" I asked.

He looked at me for a second and then smiled even bigger if it was possible.

"No brace," he said.

"It's not 100% yet, but it's getting there. Enough that they told me I should stop wearing the brace and start to ease myself back into normal activities," I told him.

"I can tell you right now that whatever that wrapped gift is pales in comparison to this," Ezra said, giving me a hug and another kiss. "This is the best Valentine's Day gift I could have asked for. Speaking of, what happened to no gifts this Valentine's Day? _Your_ idea, remember?"

I chuckled. "First, this barely counts as a gift. It's really not that exciting. And second, you're one to talk."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, doing a terrible job of faking innocence.

"I think even a blind person would be able to tell you're excited about something right now. You've looked like this since before I even got out of my car, so it's not my lack of a back brace. You're up to something."

"Okay, I can't do this anymore," he said. "Come on. We're going for a drive."

"Okay…" I said, thoroughly confused, as I got into his car. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"You'll see," he said as he shut my door behind me.

We were in the car for all of ten minutes, and we drove through a neighborhood I'd driven through multiple times a week for the past six months. Because it was on the way from the college to his apartment. He actually drove through this neighborhood every day because it was also on the way to the high school. What I wasn't expecting was for him to pull into the driveway of a house. It was small, but not a shack or anything, and picturesque, almost like something you'd see on the cover of _Better Homes and Gardens_. And it had been put up for sale around Thanksgiving and had sold fast. Really fast. By the time we'd gotten back from Pennsylvania, there was a "sold" sign on it.

Wait. It had been sold. Holy crap. Had he…?

"Ezra," I said slowly, "please tell me you're not about to do what I think you're about to do."

Ezra grinned as he pulled a key out of his jacket pocket.

"You mean hand you the key to this house?" he asked nonchalantly as he put the key in my hand.

Yep, he'd done it. He'd bought me (well, us) a house. A freaking house. I was so shocked and dumbfounded that I couldn't even be mad at him. Words failing me, I just gasped and kissed him.

"You know, most guys go for flowers or chocolate for a Valentine's Day gift. Not a house," I giggled. "So are you going to tell me how long this secret has been eating at you? And why you didn't tell me you were doing this?"

He laughed. I was guessing he was just glad I wasn't mad at him.

"Well, how long have you noticed the sign that said 'sold'?"

"Since pretty much right after we got back," I said. "Did you put in the offer before we even left for Pennsylvania?"

"Only a few days before," he said. "So, do you want to actually take a look inside or are we just going to sit out here in the car?"

I laughed and got out of the car. I still couldn't even wrap my head around this. One thing was for sure. He was lucky I was too shocked to be mad. Because otherwise I would have been livid. Normally buying a house would be a joint decision.

Ezra walked me up to the door and unlocked it. And when I stepped in, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought I was in a flower shop. There were roses in every color imaginable literally everywhere. On the stairs, the furniture...wait, furniture? He'd been busy. I chuckled as I kissed him again.

"You do know how lucky you are that I'm too shocked to be mad right now, right?" I asked.

He laughed. "I was actually sort of banking on that. The flowers were a second line of defense."

"The florist must have wondered how royally you'd screwed up to feel the need to buy every rose they had in stock," I teased.

He laughed again. "Probably."

"So before the shock wears off, are you going to explain why you didn't tell me about this before you had the keys to the place?" I asked.

"Well, I'd been thinking about looking into a house for us anyway. I do still have a trust from my grandparents. Which buying this house outright barely made a dent in. I try not to use it unless I have to, but this seemed like a good cause. Anyway, when this house went up for sale, I called the number on a whim and came to see it. I was going to have you come with me, but you were in the middle of exams and I didn't want to tear you away from studying. So I came and looked at it and I knew you'd love it. They were practically giving it away and when I asked why the asking price was so low, I was told that the couple who lived in this house was moved to a nursing home and their kids were trying to sell it as soon as possible to help pay for their care. Almost without thinking about it, I made them a lowball offer. I honestly thought they'd laugh in my face, but I got the call while we were in Pennsylvania that they'd accepted it."

"How did you manage to keep it from me through the inspections and stuff? While the trial was happening and you were spending almost every second you weren't at work with me?" I asked.

"Yeah...so I wasn't really monitoring detention the day you went to meet with Dan. I was here for the inspection. You're almost too easy to deceive when you're distracted. And I had a little help from colleagues and friends. Even your friends. I made sure they distracted you enough that I could keep you in the dark."

"Wait, my friends knew about this?"

"Not exactly. They just knew I was planning something for today. I didn't tell them what. Your mom and your friends from Rosewood do know though. Because I'm staying here next weekend so you girls can have the apartment and they don't have to get hotel rooms."

I laughed, still too shocked and happy to actually be mad at him for keeping this from me. I still couldn't really wrap my head around it. We had a house. An actual house. And I knew this was for me, mostly. If it hadn't been for me, he would have been just fine in his apartment. As we walked around the somewhat furnished house (clearly he hadn't closed on it very long ago—he'd probably just gotten exactly what he figured he'd need for tonight and next weekend), I couldn't help crying a little. He'd been right. I loved it. It was exactly the kind of house I would have wanted to buy if I'd realized I was in the market for one.

When we got to the master bedroom, Ezra wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my head. And I melted into a puddle. God, I loved him. More than I'd realized it was even humanly possible to love another person. And this insane secret he'd been keeping was proof that he loved me every bit as much. Not because of the amount of money he'd spent. Because it was him committing and putting down roots with me. It was him saying that he was serious about spending his life with me. Having a home together. One day having a family.

"So either you're so quiet because you're still in shock or because you're plotting my slow and painful death," he teased.

I laughed through my tears and turned my head so I could look at him.

"Ezra, I literally have no words. I don't even know what to say," I told him.

"Say you're not too mad at me for not telling you sooner," he chuckled. "And please, for the love of God, say you like the house. Because you're going to be living in it soon."

I turned around so I could look him in the eyes and wound my arms around his neck.

"I can't be mad at you," I said. "And not just because I'm still in shock. I can't be mad because this wasn't malicious. You weren't trying to keep this from me because you thought I wouldn't approve. At some point you decided that instead of telling me about this before it was a sure thing, you wanted to surprise me once it was. It was an act of love, not an act of deception. Just like telling me you were moving here to Savannah with me. And that alone makes me love this house. Almost as much as I love you."

I kissed him, and the absolute love and joy I felt coming through in this connection was almost overwhelming. I'd only ever seen him this happy two other times. The day I'd said yes and the day I'd said yes again. Almost as a reflex, he picked me up off the floor. And that made me wince and pull back. My back wasn't ready for that.

"I'm sorry," Ezra said, immediately setting me down. "I'm an idiot. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm good. Just maybe hold off on picking me up for a few more weeks."

He chuckled and brushed a lock of hair back from my face. And if he kept looking at me like this all night, he'd have to mop a big puddle of Aria up off the floor by the time it was over. He'd never looked at me quite like this. This look was a mixture of love and awe that I'd never seen before.

"I love you," he said quietly, kissing me again.

I had to fight the urge to make a smart remark like, "Thank you, Captain Obvious." Because this roof and four walls was proof of that. The entire rose department of the local florist that had taken up residence downstairs was proof of that. Saying the words was just stating what was already painfully obvious. But sometimes stating the obvious was necessary. Like now.

"I love you," I said when he let me talk. "More than anything."

Ezra just kissed me for what felt like the hundredth time and slowly walked me backwards towards the bed, lifting my shirt off and undoing my bra as we went. His shirt joined them on the floor within thirty seconds, and he slowly laid us down on the bed. As slow as he was going, though, it wasn't like it had been the past couple of months. It wasn't because he was scared of hurting me or scared of me suddenly freezing or having a flashback (even though it had only happened the one time). It was more like that night he'd come back to Rosewood after being here in Savannah for a month. Like he was taking it slow to savor it and make every second count. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself that I was real. That I wasn't a dream or a figment of his imagination. Then again, that wasn't such a stretch. Because I had to convince myself all the time that I hadn't dreamed him.

"As much as I really don't want to leave, we should probably go and get my car from the apartment tonight," I sighed about an hour and a half later, breaking the usual comfortable post-coital silence we'd been lying there in.

"We should," he agreed. "But I don't want to leave either."

I chuckled. "Well, it's not like we can't come back. I mean, this _is_ our house. Last I checked, that means we can come and go as we please."

"You do realize I'm still waiting for you to get mad at me about this, right?" he teased, kissing my hair.

"I told you before, I can't be mad at you," I said, picking my head up off his chest to look at him. "I'm still kind of in shock, and even if I wasn't, how can I be mad at you when you've just done something that shows me you're serious about building a life with me? Not that it wasn't already painfully obvious."

Ezra didn't say anything in response. He just pulled me back in and kissed me again, and suddenly it appeared we wouldn't be going anywhere for a little while at least.

When we got back to his apartment later that night, I didn't want to get out of the car. It kind of felt like if I left the safety of this car, all of a sudden the magic would stop and the house wouldn't really be there waiting for us.

"How much longer do you even have this apartment for?" I asked.

"I actually paid to break the lease as soon as I signed the final paperwork," he told me. "I'm out of here after this month. Honestly, I'll probably just hire movers after next weekend."

"Wait, do I need to go upstairs and grab clothes before I head back?"

"No, I took care of it," he said, leaning over to give me a kiss. "God, I don't want to let you get out of this car right now."

"I know," I sighed.

I pulled out my phone to check my messages, realizing that I hadn't looked at it for a while. And the first thing I saw was a text from Dan.

 _Everything happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to tell you when closing arguments happened. And the jury returned the verdict in less than two hours today. They found Mr. Thomas guilty on all counts. He's going away for a long, long time. His parole officer hasn't even been born yet._

I just kind of froze. I had expected to feel some sort of relief or happiness in finding out that Mr. Thomas had been convicted. But I didn't feel anything. I'd already had such a huge shock today that this was just adding to it. I typed a quick response to him.

 _Thank you. For everything._

I got a reply back almost immediately.

 _You don't need to thank me. I'm just happy you and the rest of the girls got the justice, and hopefully the closure, you deserve._

"Aria, what is it?" Ezra asked.

I suddenly realized I hadn't said a word since I'd read the message.

"Apparently after what happened on Wednesday in court, everything happened really quickly," I told him. "And the jury returned a verdict in less than two hours today. They found Mr. Thomas guilty on all counts. He's going to jail for a long time. His parole officer hasn't even been born yet."

"Thank God," he sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know what I am," I said truthfully. "Honestly, I'm just kind of numb. I'm supposed to be relieved or happy or something, but I literally don't feel anything."

"Hey," he said, turning my head so I'd look at him. "You're not _supposed_ to feel any certain way about any of this. Having this be over is a lot to process. Everything that's happened to you in the past couple of months is a lot to process. And you've handled all of it with the maturity of someone three times your age. But you're allowed to take some time to process everything. You're allowed to not know how you feel right now. Besides, you had another bombshell dropped on you today too."

"In case I haven't said this enough today, I love you," I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder. "I have no idea what I would have done without you through all of this."

"Well, you'll never have to find out," he said, kissing my forehead. "Because I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for life. For better or worse."

I chuckled and kissed him. "Thank God for that. Okay, I'll see you in ten minutes."

I got out of his car and walked over to mine. And I may or may not have broken a couple of traffic laws getting back to the house. Which we didn't leave again for the entire weekend.

"Hey," Becca said as I walked into English class (which she, Jordan, and I were all in together) on Monday morning about ten minutes early. "So are you going to tell me why Ezra has insisted that Jordan and I keep you as distracted as possible since we got back from Christmas break? What did you guys do for Valentine's Day?"

"Um…" I said, grabbing my keys and holding up the key to the house. "He gave me this."

"Wait," she said slowly. "You already had a key to his place. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If what you think I'm saying is that he bought a house for us and surprised me with it on Friday night, yes, I am," I laughed.

"Okay, he officially wins the prize for best Valentine's Day gift ever," she giggled. "Wow. So, do you like the place?"

"Becks, it's amazing," I said. "Literally exactly the kind of house I would have chosen if I'd realized I was in the market for one. And it's less than ten minutes from campus."

"That's incredible," she said.

"What's incredible?" Jordan asked, walking up and sitting on my other side. "What did Ezra do for Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, nothing much really," I chuckled. "Just gave me the key to our new house."

Jordan choked on her coffee and started coughing.

"You probably should have waited until she didn't have a sip of coffee in her mouth to say that," Becca giggled. "You okay, sweetie?"

"I'm good," Jordan said, still coughing a little. "Holy crap. You know, most guys go for flowers or chocolate on Valentine's Day. Not a house. Jesus."

I laughed. "That's what I told him. Though he did do the flowers thing too. Probably bought out an entire rose department and put them all over the house. Honestly, he was lucky I was in too much shock to be mad at him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't buying a house normally a joint decision?"

"Normally," she agreed. "But that's adorable. Seriously."

"It is," I agreed. "And very him. He didn't even tell me he was moving to Savannah with me until he already had a job and apartment here. He wanted to make sure it was a sure thing first. So I think he just wanted to be sure the house would pass inspections and all that before telling me about it."

"Your love life seriously makes me question mine," Jordan giggled. "Though Aiden did get me flowers and this necklace and take me out to a nice dinner."

"Becca?" I asked. "What did you and Kendra do?"

"Um…I don't want to steal your thunder or anything, Aria, but I kind of have some big news too," Becca said. "Kendra proposed on Friday night. And I said yes."

Becca took her left hand out from under her other arm and showed us her ring. It was gorgeous. Classic and elegant and not too flashy.

"Oh, my God," I said. "Congratulations, Becca. I'm so happy for you."

"Ditto," Jordan said. "That's amazing, Becca. So, when's the big day?"

"Not for a while," she sighed. "I haven't even figured out how to tell my parents or my sister yet. They're still having a hard time even coming to terms with me being gay at all. Kendra said she understood that and she'll wait as long as I need. Until I feel ready to tell them and everything."

"Yeah, because waiting for a while worked so well for Aria and Ezra," Jordan teased.

"Um, hopefully Becca isn't going to have anything remotely like what happened to me happen to her," I pointed out. "If that hadn't happened, I'm almost positive I wouldn't be planning my wedding yet."

"Speaking of wedding planning, how stoked are you about your mom and friends coming this weekend for dress shopping?" Becca asked. "I know I can't wait to meet your friends."

"I'm so excited," I said. "Apparently we're all slumbering it at Ezra's apartment for the weekend. He kept all the furniture there for now and even bought a few air mattresses so we'd have enough beds for everyone. He's staying at the house so we'll have the place to ourselves. You guys are welcome to join if you want. Though since you have beds here it's totally cool if you don't."

"Oh, I'm in," Jordan said. "I'll bring Cards Against Humanity."

Becca laughed. "If Cards Against Humanity is involved, I'm definitely in. Wonder what we'll learn about you this time, Aria. Since you have a tendency to be so truthful when you're playing that game."

I felt myself blush. "One time. I did that one time and now I'll never live it down."

"Wait, what in the hell are you talking about?" Jordan asked.

"Think about what you know now about Aria and Ezra," Becca said before I could. "And then think about the first time we played Cards Against Humanity."

Jordan was quiet for a second and then she started laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "That professor card." And then she started laughing again.

"Well it was either that or the Christopher Walken card," I giggled.

On Friday night, we were all over at Ezra's apartment with my mom and all of my best friends, both from Savannah and Rosewood. And, yes, we were playing Cards Against Humanity. Becca was the judge when the dreaded virginity card was read. I had the same damn professor card in my hand again. But this time, I had no qualms about playing it since it wasn't exactly a secret to anyone here.

"Okay, Becks, did you stack this deck?" I teased as I set the card down.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You'll see in a second," I said. "Just read the cards."

She picked up the cards and started reading them.

"Okay. Full frontal nudity. Keanu Reeves. Taking your clothes off. Oh, my God. No freaking way," she laughed.

"Now do you see why I asked you that?" I giggled.

"Wait, did you play the card I think you played?" Jordan asked. "Again?"

"Yes. Yes, I did."

Becca, Kendra, Jordan, and I started laughing so hard we almost couldn't breathe.

"Okay, what is going on with you guys?" Emily asked. "I feel like we're missing the punch line of a joke."

"Read the card, Becks," I laughed. "If you can breathe."

Becca took a few seconds to catch her breath and then read the card.

"That one insanely hot professor," she read, then started laughing again.

Everyone started laughing with her, including my mom. That was a little shocking; I was definitely seeing a whole new side of my mother tonight. Then again, this game had a tendency to bring out a different side of people.

"Wait a second. Jordan just said 'again.' Something tells me Aria got a little too truthful with this game once before," Alison chuckled.

"I will not confirm or deny that," I giggled. "Becca may or may not have found out some new things about me that night."

"Well, at least you're engaged to said professor now. And moving into a house with him soon," Emily chuckled. "Speaking of, do we get to see the place at some point this weekend?"

"If you want to, absolutely," I said.

"Oh, no, I think we'll pass on seeing _your new house_ ," Spencer said sarcastically. "Seriously, Aria, what do you think? Of course we want to see it."

"By the way, why aren't you staying there tonight?" Hanna asked.

"Um, because you guys are here. I'm spending the weekend with you," I reminded her.

"Honey, we'll still be here tomorrow if you want to stay there with Ezra tonight. I'm sure your bed there is a lot more comfortable than one of these air mattresses will be. It's not like the bridal stores are going to be open at seven in the morning or something," my mom said. "Just come back over for breakfast and then we'll head out for the day."

I chuckled. Apparently I was too easy to read.

"Maybe after we finish this game," I said. "Becks, finish reading the cards."

"Does she even have to finish?" Kendra teased. "Clearly you won this round."

Becca just handed the black card to me without even reading the rest of the cards, and then I drew the next black card to judge. An hour later, we decided to call it a night. My mom and friends had had a long day getting here.

"Tell Ezra that he needs to cancel whatever he's doing tomorrow night," my mom said as I got ready to leave. "He's coming to dinner with us after we get done dress shopping."

"I'm sure that's his idea of a good time," Alison chuckled. "Having dinner with a bunch of women who have just spent the day clothes shopping."

"Well, it's not like we can actually talk about the dresses we looked at in front of him anyway," I pointed out. "But how about if I ask him if he would rather do dinner tomorrow or breakfast on Sunday before we take you guys back to the airport?"

"Okay, that's fair," my mom agreed. "As long as we get to see him and the house at some point this weekend."

"Don't badger her," Hanna teased. "Or you might not get to see your future son-in-law at all."

I laughed. "Yeah, I could always just forget to mention any of this to him."

I walked in the house to find a light still on upstairs. It was late, so I'd assumed Ezra would already be asleep. When I walked into the bedroom, I found him grading papers.

"Hey," I said, walking up to sit next to him on his side of the bed. "You realize you have all weekend to do that, right?"

"Hey," Ezra said, immediately putting the stack of papers on his nightstand and giving me a hug. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"Apparently I'm a little too transparent," I chuckled. "My mom and my friends kicked me out of the apartment and told me just to come back in the morning."

He laughed a little and kissed me. He was pretty transparent too. I could tell he'd missed me tonight. This was the first Friday in as long as I could remember that we hadn't spent together.

"Did you at least get some quality time with them in before they kicked you to the curb tonight?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I told him. "Becca, Kendra, and Jordan came over too and we all had dinner and played Cards Against Humanity."

"Good, I'm glad. Do I need to set an alarm for tomorrow so you can get back over there?"

"No, I set one on my phone already. Speaking of tomorrow, how do you feel about joining us for dinner after we get done shopping?" I asked. "Everyone wants to see you. And the house."

"Well, seeing as my day tomorrow is going to consist of grading more papers, I'll be grateful for the escape by dinnertime. Are you girls going to come over here after you're done or should I meet you somewhere?"

"Um…that's a good question. I'll talk to my mom tomorrow and let you know. She's kind of in charge of the schedule for the weekend. I'm just along for the ride."

"Okay," he said, giving me another kiss. "So are you just going to sit there all night or are you actually going to get changed and come to bed at some point?"

"No, I'm coming to bed," I chuckled. "I'll be right back."

The next morning, my alarm woke us up way too early. We'd had a late night. We'd put on a movie and it had been well after midnight by the time we'd actually fallen asleep. Ezra groaned as I grabbed my phone to shut the alarm off.

"Sorry," I said, kissing him on the cheek. "You can go back to sleep."

As I turned to get out of bed, he pulled me back down and kissed me. God, I wished I could just stay here in bed with him like we usually did on Saturdays. That was kind of why I'd planned on staying with my mom and the girls last night. Because I knew it would kill me to walk out the door this morning after spending the night here. Though I'd slept much better here than I would have there. It was getting harder and harder to fall asleep without him. Ever since everything went down with Mr. Thomas, I'd spent more nights with him than at school and I'd gotten so used to having him in the bed with me that I had a hard time falling asleep when he wasn't there.

"This is not going to help me get out of bed," I chuckled when he let me talk.

"That's kind of the point," he teased as he kissed me again and pulled me closer.

As we kissed, Ezra ran his hand down my side, stopping at my knee. He pulled my leg up, hitching it over his hip as he rolled us over. Well, it looked like I was going to be later than I'd planned on being this morning. Not that I'd complain about what was making me late.

"Okay, now you can get up," he teased about half an hour later.

I laughed and kissed him one more time, then sat up. When I grabbed my phone to check the time and text my mom that I was running late, I was mortified to discover that she had called and texted to find out where I was while I was…er, otherwise occupied. Thank God my phone had been on silent.

"Remind me again why my mother is here this weekend," I sighed.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he sat up and kissed my shoulder. "I thought you were glad she came with your friends this weekend."

"She called _and_ texted about twenty minutes ago to find out where I was," I chuckled, getting up and literally just throwing on the first clothes I touched that sort of went together. "I'm lucky she doesn't know the address here or she probably would have been knocking on the door too."

He laughed. "Well, you should probably get going before she decides to Google recent real estate sales in Savannah to find the address."

"Oh, she's probably already done that," I said, bending down to give him one last kiss. "I'll see you later. I'll call you when I figure out what's happening tonight."

"Okay," Ezra said; he looked like it was going to kill him watching me walk out of here. "I love you."

I smiled; I'd never get tired of hearing that. Ever. No matter how many times he said it.

"I love you too," I told him as I walked out of the bedroom.

As fast as I'd been getting ready once Ezra finally let me out of bed this morning, I still walked into the apartment about forty-five minutes later than I'd planned on. My mother was nowhere to be found, but all four of my friends were in the living room.

"Hey," I said as I walked in. "Where's my mom?"

"Getting dressed," Emily said.

"Though I'm surprised she didn't call the cops when you didn't text or call her back right away," Hanna chuckled. "She was freaking out."

"Yeah…sorry," I said, a little embarrassed. "My phone was on silent."

"Which is totally why you're blushing right now," Alison giggled.

"Um, my mom is right there in the bedroom," I reminded her in a whisper. "You want to say that a little louder?"

"What?" she asked innocently. "I just happened to point out that your face is as red as a fire truck."

"Ali, let her be," Spencer said. "I'm sure she has a very good reason why she's late. Whether she'll be honest about what that reason is remains to be seen."

"I was just a little later getting out of bed than I planned on," I chuckled.

"Were you now?" Hanna teased. "And why was that?"

"Guys, seriously, leave Aria alone," Emily said. "I'm sure she didn't invite us down here for the weekend so we could interrogate her about why she was late getting here this morning and tease her about having spent the night with her fiancé. Especially when we all but threw her out the door last night. And she's not the only one running late. Her other friends aren't here yet either."

"Thank you, Em," I said as I walked to the kitchen to figure out what was still edible in this apartment that hadn't been lived in for over a week.

I was shocked to discover that Ezra had clearly stocked the kitchen for us for the weekend. Though I really shouldn't have been. That was exactly like him. I smiled as I threw a bagel in the toaster. I heard a knock on the door and answered it to find all three of my college best friends there.

"I'm so sorry we're late," Kendra said. "The power went out at school last night and none of our alarms went off this morning."

"It's cool," Spencer said. "That's better than Aria's excuse."

"Yeah, I literally just got here about five minutes ago," I told them. "It's fine."

"Aria, there you are," my mom said, emerging from the bedroom. "Why didn't you call or text me back?"

"I'm sorry," I told her. "My phone was on silent and I didn't realize it. I got out of bed much later than I planned on and I literally just threw on clothes and ran over here."

"We were late too, anyway," Becca chimed in. "Sorry."

"It's okay," my mom said. "We've still got plenty of time to find Aria a wedding dress and you girls bridesmaid dresses."

"Hey, Mom, do you want Ezra to meet us somewhere for dinner tonight or do we want to pick him up from the house before we go to dinner?" I asked. "He wanted to know. He's just grading papers all day, so he said he'll be grateful for the escape tonight."

"Why don't we pick him up?" my mom said. "It'll give us a chance to see the house."

"Okay, cool," I said. "I'll call and let him know on the way to the store."

It took us three bridal shops to find the perfect dress. I was almost about to give up when I tried on a gorgeous dress that looked vintage and modern at the same time. It was a modern style, floor length and flowing, but had vintage-looking lace cap sleeves and some of the same lace on the top. As soon as I saw myself in the dressing room mirror, I knew I'd found the one.

"Oh, my God, Aria," Hanna said when I walked out of the dressing room.

"You look incredible," Spencer said.

"Yeah, I think we've found your dress," Alison agreed. "Seriously. You look amazing."

"That dress has your name written all over it," Becca giggled. "It's like it was made for you."

I turned to my mom, who had tears in her eyes. It seemed like it was starting to sink in for her that this was really happening. Her daughter was getting married.

"Mom?" I asked. "What do you think?"

"You look beautiful, Aria," my mom said as she wiped a few of her tears away. "Your friends are right. I think we've found a winner."

"It's perfect," the girl helping us agreed. "So, what are you thinking for bridesmaid dresses?"

"Something they could wear again," I told her. "I don't know. I really haven't thought too much about it."

"Okay, well, is this a day wedding or evening?" she started.

"Afternoon," my mom said.

"That's great," the girl said. "It opens our options up a little more. You can go a lot more casual with an afternoon wedding than with an evening wedding. Any thoughts on colors?"

"Um…dark but not depressing," I tried. "If that makes any sense."

"No, it does. I see where we're going with this. I've worked magic with a lot less," she chuckled. "Why don't you get changed out of your dress and we'll look at a few things?"

We spent another couple of hours settling on bridesmaid dresses for my friends. The thought crossed my mind that I never wanted a divorce if only because I _never_ wanted to do this again. I loved clothes shopping and fashion, but this was just on a whole other level. And as soon as we left the store, I called Ezra to let him know we were on the way to the house.

My mom and friends loved the house, and we actually had a really nice dinner. Hopefully Ezra didn't feel too awkward among nine women. If he did, he didn't show it. He seemed glad to see my friends and catch up with them a little. After we dropped him back off at the house and I went to take my carful of people back to his apartment, my mom stayed downstairs with me after my friends said their good nights and headed upstairs.

"You seem really happy, Aria," she said. "Being here in Georgia."

"I am," I told her. "I love it here in Savannah, and I love my friends and my school."

"And what about things with Ezra?" she asked.

"If I was any happier with Ezra, I'd explode," I chuckled.

"Tell me the truth. Do you feel forced into this? Any of it? The wedding, the house?"

"No, Mom. I don't. I love Ezra and I want to spend my life with him. No amount of time is going to change that. And I'm not just saying that because of what happened in December. Maybe that moved up the timetable a little, but I don't feel forced into getting married. If I wasn't serious about him, I wouldn't have said yes in the first place. Where is this coming from?"

"It's something that's been on my mind for a while," she sighed. "Ever since he first asked your father and I what we thought about him moving here and proposing. I knew we couldn't stop him and we couldn't stop you. And I've always given you the freedom to be your own person and make your own decisions. But you're just starting a life for yourself on your own."

"And he's seven years older than me and has been on his own for a while. And you feel like because of that, he's trying to force me to settle down with him before I'm really ready to," I finished for her.

"Well, I wasn't going to say it like that, but…"

"He's not trying to force anything, Mom," I assured her. "From day one, he's always respected me and what I wanted. I'm sure you really wanted to know this, but he's always taken things at my pace and has never tried to force me to do anything I was uncomfortable with. Even when he asked me to marry him, he told me I didn't have to give him an answer if I wasn't ready to and that he wasn't trying to rush me into anything. I know it's a lot for you and Dad to process, but I've never once questioned my decision saying yes to him. We love each other, and it's the kind of love I know is going to last."

"Okay. As long as you promise me that this is _your_ decision, not Ezra's."

"It is my decision. And I don't regret it for a second."

"Well, in that case, I can say with no hesitation that today actually got me really excited about this wedding. I love the dress we settled on. It really was made for you. And your friends here are really sweet. All of them, but I really do love Becca."

"They are pretty great," I agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow. And I promise I won't be late. Because that would make you late getting to the airport, which would be a bad thing."

"Well, I wouldn't complain about spending more time with you, but I think the school would," my mom chuckled. "Good night, Aria. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ezra seemed like he was waiting up for me when I walked into the bedroom that night. And for some reason he looked nervous about something. I couldn't figure out why.

"Hey. Tonight wasn't too horrible for you, was it?" I asked as I walked in.

"No," he chuckled. "It was actually nice to see your friends. And your mom. Though I will admit it was a little hard to look her in the eye."

I laughed. "Believe me, it was harder for me to look her in the eye when I got to the apartment this morning and she asked me why I didn't call her back."

He laughed too. "I can imagine. So, none of you talked about what happened today at all. Did you find a dress?"

"Yes. But you're not going to get details out of me that easily. You don't get to know anything about the dress until you see me walking down the aisle in it."

"No fair," he teased.

"But I can definitely say without hesitation that you're stuck with me for life. If only because I _never_ want to do that again. You know I love clothes shopping as much as the next girl, but this was just on a whole other level. And it was way more stressful than I thought it would be."

He chuckled again and kissed me. Then he took a deep breath.

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about something," he started. "You know I've hired movers to move the rest of my stuff here in a couple of days. And, well, I know I said I was dead set on you living in the dorms for your first year of college, but since I've got the movers this week anyway…"

Ezra trailed off, not saying anything else. He was being such a guy right now. He was clearly saying he wanted me to move in with him now, but I had literally never seen him tiptoe around anything this much. I was going to have to drag the question out of him. This was too adorable for words. He was obviously all nerves.

"What?" I prodded.

"Do I really have to say it?"

"Um, yeah, I think you do," I chuckled.

"Fine," he sighed. "Aria…will you…move in with me?"

I laughed. "Yes. Yes, I will."

Ezra laughed with me as he pulled me in and kissed me with enough passion to light this house on fire. Yep, too adorable for words. Or maybe I just thought so because I was head over heels in love with him. That was entirely possible.

As this kiss slowly turned into more than just a kiss, the conversation I'd just had with my mother was still ringing in my ears. And right now, even more than while I was talking to her, I knew that I hadn't been lying. This didn't feel forced at all. None of it did. This relationship, moving in with him, the wedding, the house. It all felt as natural as breathing. It felt like I was closing the door on one chapter of my life and opening the door to another.

And this next chapter would be significantly better than the last. I knew that with absolute certainty. Because I knew there was nothing Ezra wanted more in this world than for me to be safe and happy. I knew he'd do anything to make sure of it. He'd try to protect me from getting hurt again as much as he could, but he wouldn't be overbearing. And if I did get hurt, I knew I'd have a safe place to land with him. He'd never judge me or stop loving me, no matter what. He'd always make sure I felt safe and secure. He'd always help me to find the joy in life, even when it seemed like there was none. And, every day for the rest of my life, to the very best of my ability, I would do the same for him. I would always do everything in my power to make sure he felt every bit as safe and happy, and most importantly, loved, with me as I felt with him.


	14. Dirty Laundry

Chapter Fourteen  
 _Dirty Laundry_

 **Ezra**

Aria walked into my apartment looking like she'd just seen a ghost. She was coming over here to help me finish packing. I'd tried to convince her to pack her own stuff up, but she'd pointed out that one of us had a lease up on Friday and it wasn't her. She still had her dorm room through the end of the school year, so she had time to get everything moved into the house. As usual, she was right. I couldn't argue with that logic. She could just keep bringing loads over. And Becca had a truck, so she could help move the bigger items, like the dresser and desk. Though she'd been sad about losing her roommate, she was happy for Aria (especially after Aria had reminded her that she'd still be less than ten minutes away) and was more than willing to help however she could.

Really, I'd tried to keep up my resolve having her live in the dorms for the first year. Even though we were getting married over the summer, it still had made no sense for her to move in to the house when she'd already paid through the end of the year in the dorm room. But I didn't have the heart to remind her of it when she'd started staying with me more often this semester. Not after what she was going through, being dragged through the ordeal of a trial and being made to relive what had happened to her. Nightmares were a semi-regular occurrence these days, and I had a feeling they weren't limited to nights she stayed with me. I also had a feeling they were less common when she _was_ with me, so I couldn't in good conscience say anything about how often she was staying over this semester.

If I was being honest with myself, I didn't have the willpower to remind her of it either. Every time she left to go back to school at the end of a night or a weekend, it hurt a little bit more. The morning she'd left to go spend the day with her mother and her friends, it had killed me inside watching her leave and not knowing if she'd be back that night. That was when I'd made my decision. I knew I couldn't wait for another three months, especially not now that I was in the house, which I'd bought for us to live in together. It seemed so big and empty when she wasn't there with me. And really, what was I waiting for? I'd moved here because I wanted a life with her. I'd bought the house because I was serious about putting down roots with her. There was no reason to wait to do that.

"Hey," I said as she walked in. "What's going on?"

Aria just went and sat on the couch, staring blankly off into space. Whatever this was, it clearly wasn't good. I put down the dishes I was wrapping and went to sit next to her.

"Aria, talk to me," I prodded.

"I just got off the phone with Dan," she said, sounding like she was trying not to cry. "Mr. Thomas is appealing the ruling based on Dan's cross-examination. His attorney is claiming Dan badgered him on the stand and forced a confession, which violated his right against self-incrimination. It's bull, but I guess the right judge, or the wrong judge depending on who you are, looked at it. He's granting Mr. Thomas's request for a retrial."

"Which means you're going to have to testify again," I sighed. "And so is everyone else."

"Yep," she said quietly. "Dan's boss is actually going to be trying the case this time. The district attorney. I have to go meet with him tomorrow after I get out of class. Dan wants to introduce everyone to him personally since he's built up a rapport with us. He's still sitting second chair."

"You're out at three tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah."

"School lets out at three-thirty. If you can wait until four to go to the DA's office, I'll meet you at the house and take you there," I told her. No way in hell was I going to let her do this alone.

"I told Dan I'd be there at four anyway," she sighed, putting her head in her hands. "God, I can't believe this is happening."

The unfortunate thing was, I could. As brilliant as Dan's strategy with Mr. Thomas had been, I'd had a sinking feeling that it was going to come back to bite us all in the ass. God, all of these poor girls. All they wanted was to try to move on with their lives. This had to be like getting assaulted all over again. Now more than ever, I was glad Aria was with going to be living with me full time starting this week. I hated thinking of her even spending a night alone while being dragged back through the mud.

"Hey," I said quietly, pulling her in for a hug and kissing her hair. "You'll get through this. You're not alone. I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't take time off to come to court with me again," Aria said, her voice breaking.

"Yes, I can," I told her.

"Let me rephrase. You can't take more time off without putting your job at risk."

I chuckled. "How many times do I have to tell you it's a job? And that you are more important?"

Aria sighed and just sat there silently in my arms for a few minutes. And then I remembered that Mr. White was supposed to be here soon to help with packing and to meet her. We still couldn't be seen together in public so soon after the trial, especially not with Aria, but he could come here. He really wanted to meet her in person. And I wouldn't complain about the extra help. But after hearing about this, I wasn't sure if Aria was up to it.

"Do you want me to call Mr. White and tell him we need to do this another time?" I asked her.

"No," she said. "I need the distraction. If I let myself think about this too much I'll go crazy."

"So it'll be business as usual then," I teased.

"Thanks," she chuckled dryly. "I love you too."

I laughed a little as I pulled Aria into my lap and kissed her. And that was the point at which there was a knock on the door.

"Rain check," I sighed as we stood up. "Ready to meet my boss?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "I guess I can turn on the charm for a couple of hours."

I kissed her one more time and brushed her hair back from her face.

"I love you," I told her.

She smiled for the first time since she'd been here. It wasn't forced, but it wasn't the smile I loved, the one that lit up her whole face. She was still upset.

"I love you too," Aria said. "Now, go answer the door."

I chuckled a little and went to get the door; Aria was right behind me. Mr. White was standing on the other side holding a pizza, with a blonde woman who was at least ten or fifteen years younger than he was standing next to him. I guessed she was his wife, Tracy. I'd heard plenty about her, but had yet to meet her.

"We brought dinner," he said as they walked in. "I'd have brought beer too, but we both have to work tomorrow. So Tracy wouldn't let me. Hope you don't mind that I brought her along. She keeps bugging me to meet you."

"Not at all," I told him. "The more, the merrier. Nice to finally meet you, Tracy."

"It's good to meet you, too, Ezra," she said, shaking my hand. "Mark speaks very highly of you. Says you're one of the best English teachers the school has ever had."

"I'm sure he overestimates me," I said. "But I'm flattered."

"No, anyone who can actually get students excited about _The Scarlet Letter_ deserves an award," Mr. White chuckled. "That assignment was pure genius."

"Well, thanks for making me look good, Aria," I chuckled. "Since that assignment was almost entirely your idea."

Aria laughed. "Anytime."

"Aria," Mr. White said, reaching to shake her hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Until I saw you at the trial, I was convinced you were just a figment of Ezra's imagination."

Her smile got a little smaller, but she managed to keep most of it intact. Of course he would mention the trial. I was sure the news that this was going _back_ to court hadn't made the papers yet.

"I'm still half-convinced she's a figment of my imagination," I said, kissing Aria's head.

Aria chuckled a little. "It's nice to meet you too. Ezra's told me a lot about you. Thank you for what you did, by the way. It was very brave."

"Don't mention it," he said. "I'm just glad it worked."

I sighed; we had to tell him. Besides, I kind of wanted to get some information on what the jury had thought _before_ Dan's crazy stunt. Get an idea of whether we had a snowflake's chance in hell of winning this case without the theatrics.

"It didn't," I said. "We just found out today that he's appealing the ruling. His attorney is claiming that the prosecuting attorney's cross-examination forced him into a confession, which violated his right against self-incrimination. And apparently the wrong judge looked at it and granted his request for a retrial."

"Tell me that's a joke," Tracy said.

"I wish it was," Aria sighed. "I got off the phone with the attorney who prosecuted the case about twenty minutes ago. I have to go meet the district attorney tomorrow after I'm done with my classes. He's personally prosecuting it this time."

"Jesus," Mr. White sighed. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure going through that once was hard enough."

"Whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't see the light of day for a good long time," Aria said. "I'm just sorry for the girls who got it even worse than I did and are going to have to go through this again."

I had to smile. God, she was strong. Stronger than I was, that was for sure. I would rather have had ten root canals than go through this again with her, but she was just steeling herself for another day on the witness stand. I couldn't have been prouder. And I couldn't have wished more that I could do something to spare her from the pain of going through _another_ trial. She was putting on a brave face, but I knew she was falling apart inside.

"Well, Ezra, where should we start?" Tracy asked, clearly trying to change the subject; I liked her already. "Put us to work."

As we packed up pretty much the entire kitchen and living room, Aria and both Mr. and Mrs. White seemed to hit it off great. Before he'd been put in an administrative position, Mr. White had actually taught English, so he and Aria already had a lot in common. She could talk about writing and literature all day long.

"Aria, if you can get students interested in Nathaniel Hawthorne, I'd love to see what you could do for Walt Whitman," he chuckled. "I never could get my students into _Leaves of Grass_."

"I think the only person who could make that book seem interesting was Robin Williams," Aria giggled. "Sorry. I can't help with that one."

"I'm right there with you, sweetie," Tracy said. "Even Mark couldn't make that book interesting, and he did try hard."

Mr. White chuckled uncomfortably, and all of a sudden a realization hit me. I realized exactly why he'd never questioned my relationship with Aria too much. I'd never understood it before, but I hadn't wanted to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now it was all too obvious, though. Between their age difference and what Tracy had just said, it was clear as day. Tracy had been Mr. White's student back when he taught English. And based on how little he'd questioned me about my relationship with Aria, I guessed that they'd been an item before he stopped being her teacher.

Looking back, I realized the only thing he'd been concerned about was whether I'd ever had relationships with any of my other students. When, over that uncomfortable beer, I'd told him that Aria and I had actually met before I even started teaching her class and that I'd tried to fight my growing feelings for her but couldn't, he'd just watched me for a week to make sure I wasn't acting inappropriately towards any of my students and then hadn't said another word about it. He hadn't cared about it once he was satisfied that I was telling the truth. Once he knew that rather than abusing my position of authority over young girls like Mr. Yancey had done, I'd simply fallen in love with someone that society said I shouldn't have fallen in love with. Once he'd figured out that I was like him.

I glanced at Aria, and I could tell she'd caught on too. Being in the situation we'd been in for the better part of two years, it was all too easy to tell. She smiled at me; she wasn't going to say anything either.

"And that was why I showed _Dead Poets Society_ in my class," Mr. White finally said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence we'd all been sitting in for about twenty seconds. "Because only Robin Williams could make that book interesting. But I bet you could do wonders for Shakespeare, Aria."

Aria laughed a little. "Depends on the play. Some of those are pretty inherently boring too."

It was almost midnight when the Whites left. And it seemed pointless to go back to the house this late when I still had the bed here. So Aria and I just crashed at the apartment for one last night. She'd be doing the walk of shame in the morning, since all of the clothes she'd had here were now at the house, but she didn't seem to care.

"Well, now you know why Mr. White never questioned you too much about me," Aria said when we were finally alone.

"Yep," I said, still trying to process it myself. "Now that I think about it, literally every question he asked me was trying to figure out if I'd had relationships with other students. Once he figured out that I hadn't, he really could have cared less that I had a relationship with you. I always thought it was odd."

"I'm sure he wasn't thrilled, but I guess he figured he had no room to talk."

"Probably," I agreed. "So, tell me the truth. Are you okay?"

"No," she sighed as she hugged me and rested her head on my chest. "I'm not okay with any of this. But there's nothing I can do about it. If I refuse to testify again, I make it that much easier for Mr. Thomas's lawyer to get him acquitted. I swore to myself that I wasn't going to let him break me, but he's coming pretty close. And I know he's just doing it to torture all of us even more."

"I'm sure he has almost nothing to do with it. I'm almost positive his lawyer is calling the shots."

"Who the hell would even defend him?" Aria sniffled. "Knowing what he's done?"

"Someone who only cares about a paycheck," I sighed, kissing the top of her head. "Someone with no morals."

As those words left my mouth, suddenly a horrible thought occurred to me. I knew exactly who would defend a rapist. Someone with the same predilections. Someone who maybe had done something similar and knew how to avoid conviction for it? It was a downright frightening thought, but it could happen. Easily.

Not surprisingly, I was woken up in the middle of the night to Aria tossing and turning. And just when the nightmares had all but stopped. I choked back tears as I shook her back to consciousness. Seeing this killed me inside every time. I wished there was something I could do to take it all away, but I was helpless to do anything but comfort her in the aftermath.

Aria just laid there silently for a few seconds and then started to sob. I'd expected this before we even went to sleep, but she'd been trying to put on a brave face. I held her tight and let her cry.

"You're safe," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "You're okay."

"God, when will it stop?" she sobbed.

"I don't know," I said quietly. "I don't know."

"It felt so real," she sniffled. "I know this sounds crazy, but my back actually hurts now. It hasn't really hurt in a couple of weeks."

I sat up and pulled Aria into my lap; she immediately curled up against me and laid her head on my shoulder. I had a feeling this was going to take a while. Thank God for coffee. Because I was going to need it tomorrow…er, today. Lots of it.

"It doesn't sound crazy," I told her. "I believe it. After being with you for two and a half years, well, having back pain after a dream is one of the more believable things I've heard."

"You mean being held hostage in an underground bunker made to look like my bedroom isn't believable? Or being cyber-stalked and psychologically tortured by too many people to keep track of?" she said sarcastically.

"Like I said, phantom pain is one of the more believable things I've heard from you," I chuckled tensely as I rubbed her back and kissed her head. How she could even make a joke about any of the myriad of things she'd been through was beyond me.

"Sometimes I really do wonder why you bother with me," Aria sighed. "It seems like we just go from one horrifying thing to the next."

"Because I love you," I reminded her. "And because despite all the horror, you make me the happiest man in the world. I wish more than anything that I could do something to save you from all of this, but I know I can't. All I can do is be here. But when this is all over, we have our whole lives ahead of us. I swear to God, I will do everything in my power to protect you from anyone else who even thinks about hurting you. After all the horror in your life, you are long overdue for some peace and happiness. And I am going to do everything I can to give it to you."

"What is it with you and getting all deep and philosophical at three in the morning?" she asked sleepily.

"What is it with you and questioning why I'm still here at three in the morning?" I teased. "This is becoming a thing. When are you going to get it through your head that I'm not going anywhere? That I meant it this weekend when I said I never want to spend a day in my life without you ever again?"

"Touché," she chuckled, yawning.

"Try to sleep," I told her. "You're safe. I love you."

Before I was even done talking, I heard the slow, even breathing that meant she was asleep again. I debated lying back down, but I didn't want to wake her back up. So I just sat there and held her as she slept, willing the nightmares away.

When I got to work the next morning, I got a text from Mr. White.

 _Can you come to my office during your planning period? I think we need to talk._

I chuckled. I'd had a feeling this was coming. Though why he felt the need to explain himself to me of all people was beyond me. It wasn't like I had any room to talk. As a matter of fact, I had even less room to talk than he realized. But I'd never gotten a chance to ask him about the jury's mood during the first trial last night. I hadn't wanted to talk about it more than we had to with Aria there in the room. This seemed like a golden opportunity to do that.

 _Sure_ , I wrote back. _I had something I wanted to ask you anyway. Third period?_

 _Looking forward to it._

Well, this would be interesting. I'd need more coffee before this conversation. I'd gotten a grand total of about four hours of sleep last night. And I'd woken up with an unbelievably stiff neck since I'd fallen asleep sitting up. Muscle relaxers were doing nothing for me. Though since Aria had slept peacefully through the rest of the night, I'd take the trade-off any day. That was more important to me than needing an IV full of caffeine and not being able to turn my head to the right. As far as I was concerned, my slight discomfort was a small price to pay.

I was glad I was giving a test on _Catcher in the Rye_ (the book that I hated and could not understand why it was required, but the students all loved) today, because it meant I didn't have to concentrate on a lesson. But that also meant that the first two classes dragged on for what seemed like forever. When the bell rang releasing the students from second period, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the teachers' lounge before heading down to the principal's office.

"Ezra," Mr. White said when I walked in. "Can you close the door?"

I shut the door behind me, and he came out from behind his desk looking more awkward than I'd ever seen him. I had to fight the urge to laugh. I knew this conversation would be uncomfortable for him, but he was the one who had wanted to have it, not me. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"You look dead on your feet," he said.

"Gee, thanks," I chuckled.

"I didn't mean it like that. Everything okay?"

"Somewhat. Aria had a rough night. Hearing that the case is going back to court was kind of a trigger for her. So we both got about three or four hours of sleep at most. I'm just glad I'm giving a test today so I don't have to be as focused."

"Look," he started. "I feel like I need to explain myself."

"No, you don't," I told him. "It's not like I have any room to talk. And a lot of things fell into place yesterday. Such as why I'm still teaching here at all after you found out about Aria."

He chuckled. "You have a little more room to talk than I do. At least you waited until you weren't her teacher anymore to start seeing her. I didn't."

I sighed and sat down on his couch. I had to tell him the truth. The whole truth. It had been eating at me since last night. I knew that, regardless of what his decision about my future here at this school was, he would keep the secret. And he deserved to know. He deserved to know that there was at least one person in this world who understood his position and didn't judge him.

"No, I have _no room_ to talk," I said, hoping the emphasis would clue him in. "At all."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he sat down next to me.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth when you first asked me about Aria," I started. "I'm sure you can understand why. So here it is. Yes, Aria and I met before I started teaching her class. I recognized her as one of Alison DiLaurentis's friends when she walked into that bar on Labor Day two years ago. The girl from some of the articles you read. The one who disappeared and then resurfaced after two years. I'd met her before she disappeared, and then I started writing a book about her disappearance. I struck up a conversation with Aria that day trying to get information for the book. I knew how old she was. I knew I'd be teaching her class the next day. I'd gotten the job teaching at Rosewood High so I could get close to Alison's friends and do more research for my book. But within two weeks of knowing Aria, I stopped writing it. Because in the course of trying to get close to her for research, I'd fallen for her. And, yes, I started seeing her before I left the high school. Part of my brain told me it was wrong, but nothing had ever felt more right. And as hard as I tried at first, I couldn't fight it. I took the job her father had put me up for at Hollis because of my relationship with her. Because I wanted to remove myself from my position of authority over her. And I did tell you the rest. So there you have it. That's the real story. I have no room to say one word about your relationship with Tracy. Regardless of what it means for my future here at Jenkins High, it's been eating at me since last night. And I felt like you deserved to know."

"Do you realize how much of a hypocrite I would be if I fired you for telling me that?" Mr. White chuckled.

I laughed a little. "Well, you're in a tight spot. You do have a school to run."

"And you've never done anything here to make me question your ethics. Maybe your love life is a little unconventional. But so is mine. And I don't even have the interesting backstory like you do. Tracy had started tutoring some of my students for National Honor Society, which I was a sponsor for. And while she and I were working together on tutoring plans for the students, we got close. Too close. And the rest, as they say, is history. See, a lot more boring. But the thing is, I've seen you and Aria together. I know what you have is real, just like what I have with Tracy is real. I can tell just from seeing the two of you interact that you never let your relationship with her get in the way of being an educator."

I chuckled, remembering the one time it had. I'd laid into a student for not doing his reading for _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and tried a little too hard to protect Aria. Or something. Looking back, I had no idea what in the hell I'd been doing. But it had completely humiliated her. She'd been ready to spit fire when she came to my apartment that night. And I couldn't blame her.

"I've made a few mistakes along the way," I said, still chuckling.

"Haven't we all?" he laughed with me. "So, you wanted to ask me something?"

I sighed. "Yes. I did. And I don't even know how to ask it really."

"Can I take a stab at what it is? You wanted to know how the jury felt about Mr. Thomas before the ADA's cross-examination. Before the theatrics."

"Exactly."

"Really, the theatrics were just the final nail in his coffin. It was clear in the videos that his defense was bogus. It was clear in Aria's recording. In all of the girls' testimonies. You've got nothing to worry about. And take all the time you need for the trial. Again. She needs you more than your students do."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I would have been in that courtroom no matter what he'd said, but I was glad I would still have a job to come back to.

"Thank you," I said. "You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"If it was my wife, nothing would keep me from being there with her," he told me. "I know you're going to be in that courtroom with her regardless. And I can't say anything about that because I would be doing the exact same thing."

"Aria tried to tell me not to come because she was worried about me losing this job," I chuckled.

"And you told her it was just a job, right?" he laughed.

"Yes, I did."

"Right answer. When you're on your deathbed years from now, you won't regret not being here and teaching while your fiancée was in a courtroom testifying about being sexually assaulted. You'll regret it if you're not there in the courtroom with her. As much as I can tell that you love what you do, I know you love her more. And you can't let this job define you. Your life outside of this job defines you. You need to make it count."

"I wish she could hear you say that. Maybe then she might actually realize it for herself."

"How's she doing with her photography, by the way? Since everything?"

"Um, with a digital camera, she's amazing," I said. "She got some pretty phenomenal shots when we went to St. Augustine that weekend. And her new professor has been great at helping her improve and broaden her skills. But the reason I left like a bat out of hell a few weeks ago was because she had a panic attack when she tried to go back into the darkroom. So she hasn't gotten back into developing film shots quite yet."

"It'll probably be a while before she can do that again. Do you have any of her work that I could see?" he asked. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while."

"I actually have a few framed shots in my office. And since I have to head back to my classroom for the next round of victims…I mean students…if you'd like to walk with me, you're welcome to take a look."

"Victims?" Mr. White laughed.

"I'm giving a test on _Catcher in the Rye_ today. I'm just glad to be done with that book. It's always a favorite with the kids, but I can't stand it. I have no idea why it's required reading."

"Between you and me, neither do I. Let's go."

We walked back to my classroom, stopping in the teacher's lounge for more coffee, of course. And we got there with about ten minutes to spare. Mr. White walked back into my office and I pointed out Aria's photos. Not that they were that hard to find. Aria had teased me that she had a feeling my office was turning into a shrine to her, and she wasn't entirely wrong.

"Aria's talented," he said. "These are very creative. I love the ones she did of herself."

"She was petrified about that assignment," I chuckled. "But as you can see, she nailed it. She'd be furious if she knew I actually had those where anyone else could see them though. She thinks I just have them on my phone."

"Your secret's safe with me," he laughed.

"I just hope I never get on your bad side. You know way too much."

"So do you," Mr. White shot back.

When I got back home after work, Aria's car was already in the driveway. I went inside and, when I didn't see her in the living room, walked upstairs to the bedroom. She was lying on the bed curled up into an almost fetal position. I went and sat down next to her.

"Aria?" I said quietly. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm exhausted and I feel like I'm going to be sick. I can't do this again, Ezra."

"Well," I started as I gently pulled her to an upright position and into my lap, "you're exhausted because you got about four hours of sleep last night. And I know it's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done in your life, but you _can_ do this. You're not alone. I'm still right here and I'm not going to let you set foot in a lawyer's office or a courtroom without me. I promise. And before you say anything about me missing work, I had a very interesting conversation with Mr. White today and he told me to take the time off. Before I even asked for it."

"Interesting?" she asked. "What was interesting about this conversation?"

"I'll tell you on the way to the DA's office. Come on, let's go get this over with," I said, kissing her forehead.

Aria sighed and got up. "I think I'd rather have a root canal than do this."

"I'm right there with you," I told her as we walked out of the bedroom.

"So tell me about this conversation with Mr. White," she said as we walked down the stairs.

"Well, apparently he felt the need to explain himself to me," I chuckled, shaking my head, as I locked the door behind us. "Though why he thought he needed to explain his unconventional marriage to me of all people is beyond me. It's not like I have any room to say anything about it."

She chuckled too. "What did you say?"

"I told him the truth," I told her, opening her car door for her and shutting it behind her.

Aria turned to look at me as I got into the car.

"The whole truth?" she asked.

"Yep," I sighed, backing out of the driveway. "He told me he'd be a hypocrite if he fired me over it. And that his story with his wife was much less exciting."

"That was a hell of a risk. What if he _had_ fired you? He does still have a school to run. No matter how hypocritical it would have been."

"I know. But something told me I could trust him. He was so nervous about explaining himself to me that I had a feeling he wasn't going to do anything if I told him the truth. And frankly I was tired of lying to one of the only real friends I've made here. I'm sorry. I should have called and told you before I went to talk to him," I said, suddenly realizing that I'd just aired her dirty laundry as well as my own. "It's your secret I was telling too, and to someone you barely know."

"Hey, it's _your_ career and livelihood. And if you trust Mr. White, then so do I. I'm not mad. Just a little shocked," Aria said.

Dan was waiting for us outside the building when we pulled up to the DA's office. He was visibly upset as he gave Aria a quick hug and shook my hand. I could tell that it didn't have anything to do with the effect on his record as an attorney. He was just concerned about making all of the girls go through this again. I wondered how many of them had actually been willing to testify a second time. I was sure they hadn't all been as cooperative as Aria.

"I'm so sorry to make you go through this again, Aria," Dan said as he opened the door to let us in. "My boss didn't want me to have anything to do with the retrial to eliminate the potential for Mr. Thomas's attorney to claim anything was improper about this trial, but I didn't want to let any of you do this without someone you knew sitting at that table. So he agreed to let me sit second chair. He's a good person. Just wants to make sure we really nail this guy this time."

"How many of the other girls were willing to testify again?" I asked.

"We've got eight of the thirteen," he sighed. "Three of them couldn't miss any more time at school because they'd transferred out of state and two were too traumatized to go through it again."

"I'm sure," I said. "I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for the rest of these girls. I know what it's like going through this with Aria. And they all got it even worse."

"One of the others is also here today," Dan told us. "Her husband was just deployed the day the initial verdict was delivered. So she's pretty much alone this time around."

"Damn. Talk about a terrible Valentine's Day," Aria sighed.

That was right. The initial verdict had been delivered on Valentine's Day. And the word "deployed" rang a bell with me. I hoped to God that person wasn't who I thought it was, but something told me I knew who else was here today. I had a feeling I knew exactly who was going through this again alone. And, as we walked up to the office, someone familiar was sitting in a chair right outside, looking like she was on the verge of tears. I'd been right.

"Alexis," Aria gasped, and ran up to her.

"Aria," Alexis said quietly, giving her a hug. "You look better than the last time I saw you. No more back brace."

Aria chuckled. "Yeah, I got the all clear to take it off a couple weeks ago. I'm not a hundred percent quite yet, but the doctor says I'm getting there."

"That's great," Alexis told her, her voice breaking a little.

It seemed like she was barely holding it together. She looked just…broken. It broke my heart to see it. I'd come to care about Alexis a great deal and she was obviously having a tough time with all of this, and now she was having to go through it without Jacob to lean on for support.

"So are you coming or going?" Aria asked.

"I'm going," she said. "I just got done talking with the DA, but Dan told me you guys were going to be here soon, so I thought I'd stay and say hi."

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Good," she sighed, her breath coming out a little shaky. "He's pretty no-nonsense, but a nice guy. I just wish Jacob was here with me. He tried to get leave to come home, but they denied it. I've got my dad here, but he doesn't want to be in the courtroom when they're asking me questions about it and showing the video. I get it, but it sucks doing this alone."

I shook my head. I'd only met her father the one time, and I'd gotten the distinct impression of him being…well, a bit cold. At the time, I'd thought he was just being protective. Now I could see that he'd been distant and cold with her when this had happened too. Which wasn't what she needed. She needed people who understood what she was going through and would be supportive while she was going through this ordeal.

"Look, if you need somewhere to stay while this is happening, we've actually just moved into a new house," I said, almost without thinking. "There's a spare bedroom, and people who care about you. I know it's not the same as having your husband here, but our door is always open."

Aria turned and smiled at me; clearly she approved. She'd probably been on the verge of saying the same thing but unsure of how I would feel about it. We had, after all, just started living together full-time. But while selfishly I wanted us to have the house to ourselves, I couldn't in good conscience let Alexis do this without a strong support system.

"I hate to break this up, but we're on a bit of a tight schedule," Dan said quietly.

"Sorry, Dan," Alexis chuckled. "My fault. I distracted them. Thank you, though, Ezra. I may end up taking you up on that. It's been so weird at my parents' house."

"Call and let us know," Aria said, giving her one more hug. "We're here if you need us."

"Thanks, Aria. Good luck in there. I'll see you guys later," Alexis said as she got up. She gave me a quick hug and then left.

Dan led us into the district attorney's office. A middle-aged man who had a welcoming smile, but was clearly all business, walked out from behind the desk.

"Raul, this is Aria Montgomery and her fiancé, Ezra Fitz," Dan said. "Aria, Ezra, this is Raul Herrera, the district attorney. And my boss."

"Call me Raul," he said, shaking Aria's hand and then mine. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm so sorry we have to put you through this again."

"Hopefully this is the last time," Aria said, chuckling nervously, as she sat down.

"I promise you, it will be," Raul said as he leaned against the front of his desk. "We'll get him this time. Now, Dan's told me a little about your…unique situation. And we'll be taking a different approach with that this time. I can understand why Dan had you make a statement about your history with Mr. Fitz after playing the recording, but I'm not going to. I'm not going to let the jury get distracted by that. This is about what Mr. Thomas did, not your life choices. I will make sure you don't have to answer even a single question about your relationship with your fiancé."

Just like that, I was completely put at ease about this retrial. Raul already seemed like he had a firm grasp of the facts of this case. As we spoke with him about what would be the same and what would be different about this time versus last time, I had every confidence that he'd get a conviction. And that this time, the conviction would stick.


	15. Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

**(Author's Note: Sorry I've been neglecting this story for a while, guys. I kind of went off on a tangent with another story, which I'm still working on another couple of chapters for. It's called** _ **Happiness**_ **if you want to check it out. Anyway, rest assured, I've also been brainstorming for this story. And I know this chapter is a little boring, but pay attention to every little detail. Because some of it will become important in later chapters. Just like in the show, I don't put things in stories like this without a reason.)**

Chapter Fifteen  
 _Make New Friends, But Keep the Old_

 **Aria**

"Wow, you've literally _just_ moved in here," Alexis said as she walked into the house a few days later.

There were still boxes all over the living room and kitchen, and we'd just gotten Ezra's old bed from the apartment set up in the guest room last night for Alexis, who had taken me and Ezra up on our offer to stay with us during the retrial. Becca and Jordan's boyfriend Aiden were going to help move my dresser from the dorm room in tomorrow so she could have somewhere to put her clothes.

I was so glad Ezra had said something to Alexis about staying with us for a little while, because if he hadn't, I probably would have brought it up to him later. As much as I wanted it to just be us and to have the house to ourselves while we were adjusting to living together full-time, when I'd seen how broken Alexis looked, I knew we couldn't let her do this alone. I was glad Ezra had come to that same conclusion without me even having to say anything. He was a wonderfully compassionate person; it was one of the things I loved the most about him.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Like, middle of last week. Permanently anyway. Ezra actually surprised me with the house for Valentine's Day and we were back and forth between here and the apartment for a little while."

I immediately regretted mentioning Valentine's Day since that was the day Jacob had been deployed, but Alexis just giggled and smiled.

"Wow, Ezra wins the award for best Valentine's Day gift ever," she said.

"You should have seen the place that day. There was literally not a piece of furniture or a stair that didn't have a bouquet of roses on it. I teased him that the florist must have wondered what horrible thing he'd done to feel the need to buy out their entire rose selection," I giggled. "I wish I'd had my camera. It was pretty priceless."

"Sounds like it. And I thought Jacob did good by getting me a puppy to keep me company while he's overseas."

"Aww. That's sweet. Where's the puppy now?" I asked.

"With my dad. I wasn't sure how you guys would feel about me bringing her. She's house-trained but she's a lab, so she's still pretty rambunctious."

"I love dogs," I told her. "We should run it by Ezra when he gets home first, but as long as you're taking care of her, I don't see him having any issues with you having her here. Especially not when Jacob gave her to you to help make the separation a little easier."

"Thanks," she said, smiling nervously. "I really appreciate it."

"Come on, let me show you the guest room," I said, leading her back to the room. "My roommate from the dorms and another friend of mine are bringing my dresser from my dorm room here tomorrow so you can have a dresser. I'm sorry we didn't get to it before you got here. You'll have to live out of your suitcase for a night."

"I think I can handle that," she sighed. "My dad seemed relieved to have me out of the house. He grudgingly agreed to take care of Belle, but he wasn't thrilled about it. If for no other reason than that, I really hope Ezra's okay with me bringing her here."

"Do you mind me asking why he's being so…distant?" I asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Honestly, despite my injuries, my dad never really believed me that…" she trailed off. "He thought I'd cheated on Jacob. And he went on and on about how he knew I was too young to be making the commitment and how could I do that to someone who was away in the military. I guess the fact that they didn't charge Mr. Thomas right away made him think that there was a reason why they didn't have any evidence. When they found the video, when I told my dad there was proof, he wouldn't believe it. He still doesn't. He doesn't get why Jacob married me after that. Needless to say, we make the obligatory trip home for Christmas every year, but that's it. We're not close with him."

Jesus. How could someone have so little trust in their child? And what was with me finding all these friends who had horrible parents?

"God, Alexis, I'm so sorry," I sighed. "That's horrible. I'm so glad we had a spare room for you. Speaking of which, let me show you the rest of the house."

Just as I'd finished the tour with her, there was a knock on the door. I suddenly remembered that I had a fitting for my wedding dress today and that Becca and Jordan were coming with me. Kendra would have been there too, but she had a late class today. I felt weird just leaving Alexis alone, though. She seemed glad to have some company.

"Look," I started. "My friends are here to take me for my first fitting for my wedding dress. Do you maybe want to come with us? You seem like you could use some company."

"I'd love to," she laughed. "I'm seriously so excited for you. It's got to be exhausting planning a wedding and going to school a thousand miles away though. And dealing with the trial."

"Yeah, it kind of is. But it'll be worth it," I said as we walked towards the door. "Most people think I'm crazy for getting married at nineteen, but I really can't wait to be married to Ezra."

"You guys remind me a lot of me and Jacob a couple of years ago," Alexis chuckled. "You're pretty adorable together from what I've seen."

"My friend Becca teases us all the time that we're so cute it's nauseating," I laughed. "Actually, pretty much all of my friends do."

She laughed. "Yeah, some of your Facebook pictures are a little nauseating. Hey, speaking of, I don't mean to pry, but do you have anyone doing your invitations and save the dates? I'm actually pretty awesome with graphic design. If you'll let me, I'd love to do that as a wedding gift for you guys. And a thank you for letting me stay here."

"That would be amazing," I told her, opening the door. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," she said.

"Hey, guys, you remember Alexis, right?" I said, talking to Becca and Jordan.

"Yeah, we met at the trial," Jordan said. "Hi, Alexis."

"Hey," Alexis said. "Jordan, right?"

"You have a good memory," Jordan chuckled.

"And you're Becca," Alexis continued.

"Yep," Becca chuckled.

"Alexis is actually going to be staying with me and Ezra for a little bit. Hope you don't mind if she tags along with us," I told the girls.

"Absolutely not," Jordan said. "The more, the merrier."

"What she said," Becca giggled. "We need to get going, though. We're already running a little late."

"Yeah, I know we are," I sighed. "Come on, let's go."

The dress fitting seemed to take forever. I had no idea it would be this involved. The one off the rack seemed to fit me fine. I wasn't sure what the big deal was. But whatever. My parents were paying for this, not me.

As the four of us were grabbing coffee afterwards, I got a call from Ezra.

"Hey," I answered. "What's up?"

"Hey," he said, sounding a little tense. "Where are you?"

"I had my dress fitting today, remember?" I reminded him. "Alexis came with. She seemed like she could use the company."

"Oh, that's right. When do you think you'll be home?"

"Soon," I told him. "Why? What's up?"

"Look, I don't want to freak you out, but Mr. White got something at school today. Something that, if he hadn't already known what he does, could have been bad news."

"Who sent it to him?" I asked.

"I think I should wait to tell you until you get home," Ezra sighed.

"Okay," I said. "Hey, Alexis was wondering how you would feel about her having the dog Jacob got her at the house? She's still a puppy, but Alexis promises she's house-trained."

"As long as she's taking care of the dog, I'm good with it if you are," he said. "Why didn't she say something earlier?"

I chuckled. "I guess she didn't want to wear out her welcome too fast. But he got her the dog to keep her company while he's gone. And things with her dad are worse than we knew. I don't feel great about making her leave Belle there."

"Tell her I said it's her house too for as long as she needs it," Ezra said. "Why don't you take her by her dad's and pick the dog up before you come home?"

"You sure?" I asked. "Whatever happened at work today sounds important."

"It happened and it's over," he sighed. "I just feel like you should know about it."

"Okay," I said. "I'll drop Becca and Jordan back at the house to get their car and then take Alexis to pick Belle up. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too," Ezra said, and hung up.

"Well, ladies, I need to drop you back off at the house to get your car and then Alexis and I have an errand to run," I said. "And apparently Ezra needs me back home as soon as I can. So looks like we'll have to finish our coffees on the road."

"That's fine," Becca said. "He's never like this, so I'm sure it's important."

"I agree," I said. "He's usually the opposite of this way, so I'm a little worried. But Alexis, in case you haven't gathered, I'm taking you to pick Belle up. Ezra's fine with her being at the house. He said to tell you it's your house too for as long as you need it."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate it," Alexis sighed, looking like she was about to start crying.

"Wait, guys, isn't that Mr. Thomas's lawyer?" Jordan said suddenly. "He's just staring at us."

I looked over where Jordan was looking, and there was no mistaking it. It was definitely Mr. Crawford that she saw from across the coffee shop, and he was staring at me and Alexis. The phrase "if looks could kill" came to mind. He looked like he would have just as soon assaulted us all over again as looked at us. It was more than a little unnerving.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I said urgently.

"Yes, let's," Alexis agreed, seeming just as freaked out as I was.

Within an hour, Alexis and I were back at the house with an adorable, if a little overly excited, chocolate lab puppy in tow. Alexis had brought all of Belle's supplies, too, including her kennel. She assured me she was taking full responsibility for Belle and we wouldn't have to have anything to do with her unless we wanted puppy love.

"Hey," I said as we walked in.

"Hey," Ezra greeted me with a smile and a kiss. "Hey, Alexis."

"Hi, Ezra," she said. "Thank you again for letting me stay here. Well, for letting _us_ stay here. This little furball is Belle."

"Hi, Belle," Ezra said, kneeling down to let her sniff his hand and pet her.

Based on how quickly Ezra and Belle bonded, I had a feeling he and I would be having a conversation about getting a dog of our own once Alexis moved back out. He was pretty adorable with her. Within about thirty seconds, it seemed like he had a new best friend.

"Looks like you have some competition, Aria," Alexis chuckled.

"As long as the competition is a puppy, I'm one hundred percent fine with it," I laughed.

"So, I've got her kennel. I'll keep her in there when I'm out," she said. "Did you want me to set it up in my room or is there a better place for it?"

"Actually, as soon as I got off the phone with Aria, I rearranged some things in the laundry room," Ezra told her, still on his knees playing with Belle. "She can stay in there while no one's home. And whoever gets back first can let her out. We're not going to make her stay cooped up in a kennel all day. And she's welcome to run and dig in the backyard to her heart's content. Just keep her with you at night."

I smiled. I loved how sweet and accommodating he was being to Alexis and her puppy, even not knowing the full story like I did. He really did have a heart of gold. One of the infinite number or reasons I loved him so much.

"Babe, there was something you needed to tell me, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," he sighed, standing up. "Sorry, Alexis, but do you mind giving Aria and I a minute?"

"Of course not," she said. "I'll take Belle outside and let her get some of her energy out. And grab the rest of her stuff out of the car."

"Cool," I said, handing her my keys. "Can you lock it up when you're done bringing stuff in?"

"Absolutely."

"Aria, can you come upstairs with me for a minute?" Ezra asked, sounding a little nervous.

"Let's go," I told him.

As soon as we walked into our bedroom, he shut the door behind us and walked to the dresser. He grabbed a manila envelope off of it and handed it to me.

"Mr. White got that at school today. Apparently it was hand-delivered, because it wasn't addressed or anything. It just showed up in his mailbox at school. No one could figure out how it got there," Ezra sighed. "You might want to sit down before you open it."

I sat down on the bed and pulled a bunch of papers out. They were held together by a paperclip. And it looked like every article that had ever been written about me and my friends and Alison was there, including screen shots from the news video of me running out of the dollhouse and into Ezra's arms. And every article that would have made it obvious that he and I were an item. That was disturbing enough, and now I was beyond grateful that Mr. White knew the whole story already. But there was a note on top of everything that made me have a panic attack.

 _Maybe the reason your new English teacher seems too good to be true is because he is. Ever wonder why he moved so far away from Pennsylvania?  
-A_

"Oh my God," I said, hyperventilating. "What…? Who...?" I couldn't even get a full question out.

Ezra sat down next to me on the bed and rubbed my back.

"Breathe, Aria," he said softly.

"I…can't," I gasped.

He moved from his position on the bed to get down on his knees in front of me. He took both of my hands in his and squeezed them tight.

"Come on, take a breath," he encouraged.

I managed a small gasp of air.

"Okay, now let it out."

I tried to exhale, but it just came out as a small huff.

"That's better. Try again," he said, as calm as ever.

I inhaled again, managing to get a little more air this time. Then I let it out. And I kept doing it until I could almost catch my breath. Almost. I couldn't really catch my breath after what Ezra had just shown me. I couldn't deal with a new A on top of everything else in my life.

Ezra came back to sit next to me and pulled me into his arms, laying us down on the bed. He kissed my hair and rubbed my back, waiting for me to say something.

"Who would have done that?" I finally asked.

"I don't know," he sighed. "But I promise you, I'll figure it out."

"And it's not just us right now," I sighed. "Alexis is staying here. What if she gets dragged into this?"

"I thought about that too," Ezra said. "Do you trust her enough to tell her about what happened to you?"

"She told me about getting raped before she even met me," I pointed out. "I think I trust her enough to tell her what I went through in high school. Do you trust her knowing the truth about us?"

"She already knows most of it anyway," he pointed out. "She was there when you testified at the trial."

"True," I sighed. "Okay, I'll tell her. Somehow."

"Hey," he said, tilting my chin up so I would look at him. "I'm not going to let this person hurt us. It's my job to protect you, and I take it very seriously."

I smiled. "I know. It just freaks me out. I thought we were done with this."

"I think we still are," he sighed. "This is someone here in Savannah who found out about what happened to you and is trying to play on our fears."

I liked how he said "our" fears instead of just my fears. He was scared of this too. He had his scars from what had happened in Rosewood just like I did. He was still terrified of something else happening to me. Wait. Something else had happened. Something that we were still in the middle of dealing with.

"Could this be someone connected to the trial?" I asked. "A lawyer or paralegal? I'd say a juror except that there's no jury for this trial yet. That's not happening for another couple of weeks."

"That was my first thought," Ezra said.

"I was going to tell you right when we got home but then you dropped that bombshell on me. The girls and I went for coffee after my fitting. We were actually at the coffee shop when you called. And as soon as I hung up with you, Jordan saw Mr. Thomas's lawyer and he was just staring at me and Alexis. And the phrase 'if looks could kill' comes to mind," I told him. "I know he probably just recognized us and was looking at us because of that, but it freaked me out."

"Or he was trying to intimidate you," he said after a second. "Unfortunately, giving you a death stare across a coffee shop isn't enough to prove it, but keep your eyes open. Document every time you see him in a notebook or even just a note on your phone. If it becomes a pattern, we can tell Dan or Raul and they can go to the judge. I'll tell Alexis the same thing. Intimidating a witness is illegal, last I checked."

I nodded. I was too overwhelmed by everything to even talk. I couldn't really form words right now. I didn't know how I was going to tell Alexis about everything.

"I don't even know where to start telling Alexis about this," I sighed.

"Start at the beginning. That's always a good place to start," he suggested.

"Do you know how glad I am that Becca isn't here right now?"

"Now why would you say that? Because she'd start singing songs from cheesy old musicals?" he teased.

"Exactly," I giggled. "I think we should leave that song to Julie Andrews."

"And my work here is done. I got a laugh out of you," he chuckled.

"Okay, let me figure out what's actually edible in this house. We kind of desperately need to go grocery shopping."

"I know," he admitted. "It's bad. We'll go tomorrow."

Suddenly it hit me. Ezra and I were sitting here talking about grocery shopping. Like it was a normal thing. This was for real. I was actually living here. With the love of my life. For some reason, it hadn't really sunk in until right now. I was equal parts happier than I'd ever been in my life and completely terrified. I didn't even realize how big of a step I was taking until now. It had felt natural to move in here. I might as well have been living with him already since I'd been attacked. But now it was real. This was my permanent address.

"What is it?" Ezra asked. "I don't think I've ever seen that look on your face before."

I chuckled. "I guess it just kind of hit me. This is for real. I live here now."

He laughed. "What brought that on?"

"Honestly? It's the fact that we're sitting here talking about going grocery shopping like it's a normal thing," I admitted. "It's just a little surreal."

"In a bad way?"

"No," I assured him. "Not in a bad way. Just in a 'wow, this is actually happening' way."

"This is the first time it's really hit you?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know, it's a little late in the game. Seeing as I've been living here for a couple of weeks already."

"Well, in your defense, there's been a lot of other stuff happening at the same time," Ezra reminded me. "Do you want to know when it hit me?"

"When?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"When I realized a few days ago that ninety percent of the things in the bathroom are yours."

We both laughed, and he pulled me up a little so he could kiss me.

"Really? I had most of that stuff in your apartment too," I chuckled.

"You think that, but you have no idea how much more there is now," he teased. "I've never understood why women need so many different hair products. And so much makeup."

I laughed. "You think this happens by accident? I have to work to look this good."

He chuckled again and kissed my head. "For the record, you don't have to work at all to look good. You get out of bed in the morning looking good."

I melted. "I have told you lately that I love you, right?"

"Yes. But you know I never get tired of hearing it."

We ended up getting takeout because the grocery situation was that bad. And over dinner, Ezra and I told Alexis about what had happened to me and my friends in high school. In a fair amount of detail. And then we told her about what Mr. White had gotten today.

"Wow," she said when we were done.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Look, if this changes your mind about staying here, we'll understand."

"No," Alexis said. "Not in the slightest. Seems like we could all use someone in our corner right now. And I'm going to feel bad enough about taking Ezra's new best friend away from him when the trial's over. I think it'd be cruel and unusual punishment to take her away this soon."

I looked over at Ezra, who was happier than I'd seen him in a long time as he played with Belle. It was too adorable how quickly they'd bonded.

"I think I'm going to need visitation rights," he told her.

Alexis and I laughed. I went to sit next to Ezra and get some puppy love too, and Belle hopped into my lap and started licking my face.

"Seems like you have a new best friend too," Ezra laughed as he kissed my head. "Becca will be thrilled to know she's taken a back seat to a dog."

I giggled.

A little while later, I decided to call Spencer. I needed to talk to someone who understood what I was feeling. Someone who didn't just try to tell me that he wasn't going to let A hurt us. So I went out to the backyard for a little privacy.

"Aria," she answered immediately. "Were your ears ringing? Toby and I were just talking about you."

"All good, hopefully," I chuckled.

"Always," she said. "What's up? You sound like something's wrong. Other than having to go through a trial again."

"Um, Ezra got something at work today. Actually his principal did. And if he hadn't already told the principal about us it could have been bad news," I sighed.

"What was it?"

"A huge packet of articles about us in high school. Screenshots of me running out of the dollhouse and into his arms. Pretty much anything possible that would make it obvious that we were an item while he was my teacher."

"Who would have done that? And why?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Take a wild stab at how it was signed. Just guess."

"Oh. My. God. Please tell me you're not about to say what I think you're about to say," Spencer said slowly.

"If you think I'm about to say that there was a note with it that said, 'Maybe the reason your new English teacher seems too good to be true is because he is. Ever wonder why he moved so far away from Pennsylvania?' then you're absolutely right. And if you think it was signed from A, you're right again."

"Jesus," she sighed. "Because you don't have enough going on in your life right now."

"I can't help thinking that this is connected to the other stuff that's happening," I told her. "Like maybe a lawyer or paralegal connected to the case."

"But how would they even know that?" Spencer asked.

"Well, half of our history came to light during the first trial," I said. "I wasn't entirely forthcoming, but since Mr. Thomas had found out about it and said something on the recording, the lawyer addressed it in his follow-up questions. So all the lawyers connected to the case know, and any paralegals would probably know too."

"Okay, next question. Why do this now? Why not do it the first time around?"

"Because it was too late in the game last time? This time they're trying to scare me out of testifying?" I suggested.

"By doing something to try to hurt Ezra? There's plenty of ways they could have used your history with Ezra against _you_ specifically. Why would they try to hurt him instead of you?" she prodded.

That was a good question. But then I realized exactly why.

"Intimidating a witness is illegal," I said. "So they can't intimidate me directly. But intimidating a witness's fiancé isn't. They'd know he would tell me about it, which means it would scare me too by default."

"That kind of makes sense. But forget the trial for a second. We might be missing the woods for the trees here," Spencer suggested. "Besides moving into the house permanently, is there anything else new happening in your life?"

"One of the other victims, someone who's become a friend of ours, actually just came to stay with us for a while. Her husband just got deployed and we didn't want her to have to go through this again alone."

"Wow. You're just getting used to living together full-time and now you're throwing having another woman living there into the mix too? Unless it's a ménage-a-trois. I knew you were kinky like that."

"Um…no," I chuckled. "And this call just got very 1-900."

"To talk to a hot English teacher, press 3," she giggled.

I giggled with her, remembering when she'd said that a couple of years ago.

"You're going to have to come up with some new comebacks," I teased.

"So tell me about this girl," Spencer said. "Seriously. I'm curious."

"Um, her name's Alexis and she's the daughter of one of Ezra's colleagues. And her dad never believed her when she told him she'd been raped. Her husband is in the Navy and just got deployed for an eighteen-month tour. Actually on Valentine's Day," I sighed. "I can't imagine how hard that was."

"Man, that sucks for her. What made you guys offer to have her stay with you?"

"We ran into her when we went to meet with the DA last week and she just looked like she was having a really hard time with everything. Ezra actually offered her the spare room before I could even say anything to him. And she brought her adorable three-month-old chocolate lab with her. I think Ezra has a new best friend. He's pretty adorable with Belle."

"Aww," she chuckled. "I need pictures."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get some," I said. "That dog is such a love. A little ball of energy, but so sweet."

"Back to Ezra's unexpected delivery. I just had a thought. I hate to even say this, but could this be someone at Ezra's school doing this? Maybe someone who knows…what's her name? Alexis? I can't believe I'm even saying this, but maybe her father?"

"But why? What would his motivation be?" I countered.

"Maybe he's mad at you for interfering in what he considers to be a family matter? I don't know. I'm just spit-balling here. Seriously, though, I know what a nice guy he is, but does he have any enemies at work? Anyone who doesn't like him who would have taken the time to dig this up and try to hurt him with it?" Spencer asked.

"I'm sure he would have told me before now, but I'll bring it up to him," I told her. "He already had one person find out like within a month of school starting. That's how the principal found out. But, get this, his wife used to be his student when he taught English. So once he knew that Ezra was engaged to me now, meaning that he loved me as a person and wasn't just manipulating me, he could have cared less. But anyway, that guy was found in a hotel room with a student and is in jail now, so it can't be him again. And plus, he already told the principal. This has to be someone new. Someone who doesn't realize Mr. White already knows me."

"So much for Savannah being a fresh start for you guys," she sighed.

"Right?"

"But I'm glad you've got some good friends there. I loved Becca and Kendra and Jordan. I wish I could meet Alexis too. She's obviously gotten pretty close with you guys if you've let her move in to the house."

"Yeah, she's great. She's actually going to be doing our save the dates and invitations. Which we really need to get moving on. At this point, I'm probably just going to do an online save the date. It doesn't make sense to mail out save the dates four months out and then send out invitations a few weeks later," I said.

"That makes sense. Is Jordan going to be doing an engagement photo session with you guys or are you just going to use a picture you already have?" she asked.

"That's actually a really good question. I should probably talk to Ezra about that and see what he wants to do. Like soon," I realized.

"Yeah, you should," Spencer chuckled. "Anyway, I've got to get going. I've got a mountain of homework to do."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, Spence," I said, then hung up.

I walked back inside and went up to the bedroom, where Ezra was busy grading assignments. He set down the stack of papers and turned to face me.

"So how's Spencer?" he asked.

I chuckled. "She seems good. Though we mostly talked about me. Well, us. I told her about what happened today."

"I had a feeling. What did she have to say about it?"

"Well, she agreed that it might be someone from the trial. But she also brought up an alternative theory. You don't have anyone at work who doesn't like you, do you? Someone who would have taken the time to dig this up and give it to Mr. White?" I asked.

"No, the only person who's ever not liked me enough to do that was Todd Yancey, but he's in jail now," he told me.

"What about someone who knows Alexis? Who doesn't like the fact that she's staying here for a little while?"

"Well, it's not like I've been talking about that in the teacher's lounge. The only one who would know is her dad. But didn't Alexis say he was relieved not to have her there anymore? Not to mention he hasn't said word one to me about it. If he _was_ upset, I'd think he would have some choice words for me."

"Yeah," I sighed. "I don't know. Spencer just reminded me not to just focus on one angle. We don't want to miss the woods for the trees."

"And she's right. I'll keep my eyes open at work too," Ezra promised.

"Oh, I was going to tell you, Alexis said she would love to do our invitations and save the dates for us as a wedding gift and a thank you for letting her stay here," I said, suddenly remembering that I hadn't told him about that yet.

"Good thing someone thought of that," he chuckled. "That's unnecessary, but very nice of her."

"Did you want me to have Jordan do an engagement photo session with us this weekend or do you want me to find a picture we already have to use?" I asked.

"It's up to you. I don't care either way."

"You sound like you'd rather go to a root canal appointment than take a dozen pictures with me," I teased.

"No, the photo session is a step above a root canal," he shot back.

"You do realize that you're going to have to spend a good couple of hours posing for pictures on our wedding day, right?" I giggled. "But I'll spare you this time and use one of our pictures from Labor Day weekend or Christmas. We've got enough on our plates right now."

"Which is why we actually should do it if Jordan's free," he said. "We need to do something fun. Something to remind ourselves that there's still something good in our life right now too."

"Really?" I asked, shocked. This wasn't like him at all. He hated taking pictures. He humored me every so often, but it was like pulling teeth.

"Yes, really," he laughed. "Why is that such a shock?"

"It's usually like pulling teeth to get you to take a picture. Why the sudden urge to spend an hour doing nothing but taking pictures?"

"Because I love you. And I know it'll make you happy," he said.

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you too. Okay, I'll text Jordan and see if she's free. Otherwise, maybe Alexis can do it. Mr. Sawyer actually taught her during her second semester at Savannah and she's the only other freshman besides me whose work he's published. So she's got to be at least somewhat decent with a camera."

"When did he tell you that?"

"The day I had my panic attack," I told him. "He was trying to tell me that he knew what I was capable of because he doesn't usually publish freshmen's photos at all. Telling me that it was okay if I wasn't ready to go back into the darkroom yet."

"Speaking of that, have you ever tried since then?" he asked.

"I've thought about it, but I just don't know if I'm ready. I feel like such a wimp. It's just a room. And it's not like Mr. Thomas is even on that campus anymore."

"You are anything but a wimp," he said. "If you're not ready to go back into the darkroom, you're not ready. You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Not even yourself."

"I know," I sighed.

Ezra pulled me in for a hug and kissed my forehead. I immediately curled up against him.

"You know, if you stop grading papers whenever I'm in the room, your students will never get any of their assignments back. I live with you now," I chuckled.

"And it seems like you just realized that today," he teased.

I laughed. "Seriously, I'm probably going to fall asleep soon anyway. I don't mind if you keep grading."

"Okay," he said, giving me a kiss before picking up his pen and stack of papers again. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but sentence structure _is_ taught before eleventh grade, right?"

"Last I checked, it was taught in elementary school."

"Just checking. Seems like some of these kids could use a refresher."

"That bad?"

"I wish I was exaggerating," he said. "My students are going to be seeing a whole new side of me tomorrow. The side that's extremely frustrated with handing out more C's and D's than A's and B's."

"I'm glad I never saw that side of you," I told him.

"No, because you were always a good student, thankfully," he chuckled. "Do you know how awkward it would have been to have to give you a bad grade?"

"I know how embarrassed I would have been when I got my paper back."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you never have to be embarrassed with me? That there's nothing you could ever do to make me love you any less?" he said, tilting my chin up so he could look me in the eye.

I smiled. "Back at you."

Ezra pulled me up so he could kiss me, and after about thirty seconds, he put the stack of papers back on his nightstand and slid his hand under my nightshirt and up my back. The thought crossed my mind that I was glad we'd never been particularly loud in bed anyway. Because otherwise this would have felt awkward with someone down the hall. But it was only a fleeting thought, because soon my mind was occupied by other things. Things that, after the stress of today, Ezra and I both sorely needed.


	16. Family Matters

Chapter Sixteen  
 _Family Matters_

 **Ezra**

A week later, I was still making no progress figuring out who it was who had put that envelope in Mr. White's mailbox at school. He and I had even spent an evening trying to analyze it from every angle and we'd come up with nothing. Basically, he had come to the same conclusions that Aria, Spencer, and I had. This was either someone connected to Aria's trial or someone here at the school who had a silent grudge against me. But who? Neither of us had any idea.

I was in the teacher's lounge during my planning period when Adam Fisher walked in and made a beeline for me. I couldn't quite place the look on his face, but it certainly wasn't friendly. In fact, it was more than a little unsettling.

"Ezra," he said by way of greeting.

"Adam," I responded, a little confused. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering whether that little slut has outstayed her welcome yet," he said. "She should be ashamed of herself, lying little bitch."

I had to take a few seconds to gather my thoughts. My eyes must have gotten as big as saucers. This couldn't have been the same person who was so guarded when he was talking about what his daughter had gone through. Except that it was the same person. He must have been so tight-lipped because he hadn't wanted to let his true personality show. This was what Aria had been talking about when she'd said things between Alexis and her father were worse than we'd known. I understood why she hadn't told me. I was sure she hadn't wanted to betray Alexis's confidence. But I wished I'd known so I could have been more prepared for this when it inevitably happened.

In addition to the initial shock of hearing him refer to Alexis in such a derogatory matter, there was something else that stood out to me. Something about the way he'd worded his question. Something that unnerved me even more than hearing him talk about someone who had become a dear friend to both myself and Aria like the scum on the bottom of his shoe. It wasn't what he'd said; it was what was behind the words. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time he'd referred to her this way. In fact, I had a feeling he'd spoken _to_ her like this. Or even done more than spoken to her like this. I hoped I was wrong. Maybe after what Aria had gone through, I was paranoid now. But I somehow just had this feeling that Alexis wasn't just uncomfortable at her father's house because of how he was acting about the trial. I had a feeling he'd contributed to her discomfort in a much more…hands-on way. The terrifying thought occurred to me that I hoped Alexis didn't have any younger siblings who were still living with him.

"First, talk about your daughter, or any woman for that matter, like that in my presence again and I'll do everything I can to make sure you're out of a job before you know what's hit you," I started. "And second, Alexis has been nothing but gracious and grateful that she and her dog have a place to stay and supportive friends during this difficult time. She's seemed much happier this past week. And she's welcome to stay for as long as she needs. I appreciate your concern and I'll let her know you asked about her."

And then I turned around and left before he could say anything in response. I quickly walked back to my office and tried to take some deep breaths to calm myself down. I still had half of the day to get through. Luckily, I was just showing the movie of the current book I was teaching today, so I didn't have to focus too much. Because I was trying to decide if I was going to say anything to Alexis about this, and if so, how I was going to say it. I didn't want to sound accusatory. And I definitely didn't want her to think this changed anything. If anything, what had happened with her father today only further proved to me that Aria and I were doing the right thing by taking her in.

When I got home, Aria and Alexis were on the couch looking at Alexis's computer. As I got closer, I could see that Alexis was working on the save the date announcements for us, and it looked like she was about done. From what I could see from a distance, they looked amazing. Like something we would have had to pay through the nose for if we hadn't had her do them. I walked up behind them and kissed the top of Aria's head. She turned around and smiled at me.

"Hey. I know this really isn't your thing, but what do you think?" she asked, pointing to the screen.

"It looks great," I told her. "Thanks again, Alexis."

"I'm glad you like it," Alexis said. "I'll start on the invitations tomorrow. I think this is good to go."

"I think you're right," Aria agreed as she stood up. "And now that you've gotten the seal of approval from us, I actually have a paper to start writing. So I'm going to start some coffee and head upstairs."

She walked behind the couch and gave me a kiss, then headed into the kitchen. I hesitated for a second before taking her place next to Alexis on the couch. I realized I couldn't not tell Alexis what had happened with her father.

"Alexis, I need to talk to you for a second," I sighed.

"What is it?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I shook my head. "Oh, no, this person was very real, unfortunately."

Belle must have sensed that I was upset, because she came over from the other side of the room and jumped into my lap. I had to smile a little; I hadn't realized how much I would love having a dog in the house. Dogs really were wonderfully therapeutic, and Belle made us all laugh and smile. Something we really needed to be doing more of.

"You know you're going to be too big to be a lap dog soon, right, Belle?" I chuckled, scratching behind her ears. "You'd better enjoy this while you still can."

Alexis laughed a little. "I think she's always going to think she's a lap dog. It's going to be up to us to remind her that she's not."

"You're probably right," I agreed, sighing. "Look, I don't even really know how to say this without just coming out and saying it."

"It's okay," she said. "Whatever it is, I can take it."

"Um, your father confronted me in the teacher's lounge today," I started.

"Oh, God."

"I'm not going to repeat the things he said to me about you. They weren't exactly civilized."

"I can imagine," she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Listen, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but something about the way he was talking to me made me think that it was more than just the trial that made you uncomfortable staying at his house," I told her.

Alexis took a deep breath, like she was trying to keep back tears. She wasn't entirely successful. A few tears crept out of the corners of her eyes.

"You're right," she said. "I tried to tell so many people about what he was doing to me and my sister, but no one would listen. They couldn't get past his image as a teacher. So we had to stay there. Alone, after our mother died of breast cancer a couple years ago. It got so much worse after she died because he didn't have to hide it from her anymore."

She had tears streaming down her face by the time she was done, and Belle moved from my lap to hers. She chuckled a little and hugged Belle tight. I squeezed her shoulder for encouragement.

"How old is your sister?" I asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Bailey's sixteen," she sniffled.

Wait. Bailey. Bailey Fisher. Dear God. I hadn't made the connection with her last name, since the name Fisher wasn't exactly uncommon and her dad had never shown up at any of the parent-teacher conferences. But she was in my sixth period class. And she'd seemed to be struggling all year. She was pulling B's and C's, but I could tell she would be an A student if she put her mind to it. All this time, I'd just thought it was because she didn't care enough to put the effort in. Now I realized there was another reason altogether.

"Jesus," I said. "She's one of my students and I didn't even realize it. I understand why she didn't come to me, but I wish she had. If I'd known, I would have tried to do something. And now I'm stuck. Because unless _she_ says something to me, I can't call CPS."

"The joys of being an educator," she chuckled. "I know you can't do anything based on what happened today. And now you just have to live with the knowledge all by yourself. I don't mind you telling Aria about it, but that won't help solve anything. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I brought you into the middle of this."

"I'm not," I told her. "I'm glad we had a spare room for you. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Even after the trial's over. I wish I could do something to get Bailey out of there too. Hell, I wish I could do something to get him locked up. The thought of him continuing to teach girls at that school sickens me."

"I'll see if I can get her to talk to you," Alexis said. "I'll take her out shopping this weekend and let her know that she can trust you. That you'll believe her if she tells you what Dad is doing. We're close, so I know she'll listen to me. She's not acting out in class or anything, is she?"

"No," I told her. "She's just not putting much effort into anything. I know she's capable of doing way better than she's doing in my class, and I imagine in her other classes as well."

"I thought when I moved out to go to college, I'd finally be done with all this. And then in my freshman year, I had Mr. Thomas as a teacher. Ironic, huh?" she chuckled, sniffling. "Part of the reason Jacob proposed to me was because he wanted to get me away from the person who was hurting me as soon as he could. And then I just got hurt by someone else instead. That was why we got married so soon. He wanted to get me as far away from Savannah as he could. I felt horrible leaving Bailey here without anyone in her corner though."

"Would the courts let you take custody if your father gets reported? Rather than putting her in foster care?" I asked.

"I hope so. I don't think Jacob would have any issues with it, and as long as we can prove that we can take care of her, I don't see why they wouldn't let me take custody."

"I wish I could say she could stay here too, but somehow I don't think the school would look too kindly on it," I sighed.

"If that happens, I'll find somewhere else to stay," she said. "Somewhere that she can be with me. If my dad goes to jail, I'm hopeful I could just go back there so she wouldn't have to move."

"For both of your sakes, I hope something happens that I can actually do something about," I told her.

"I hate to even say this, but with my dad being so hostile towards you in the teachers' lounge today, do you think he might have had anything to do with that unexpected delivery to Mr. White last week?" she asked.

"The thought crossed my mind, but I don't know. It doesn't really seem like his personality," I pointed out. "The kind of person who would boldly walk up and confront me in the teachers' lounge probably isn't the same kind of person who would leave an anonymous package in the principal's mailbox."

"That's true, but take it from someone who lived with him for eighteen years. I wouldn't put anything past him. He's mad at you for interfering in what he thinks is a family matter. And he's probably guessed that I've told you about what he did to me and is still doing to Bailey. Maybe he thought he was doing damage control in case you did report him to the principal."

"Trying to show the principal that I wasn't perfect either," I realized. "It's possible. I'll still keep my eyes open. Look, are you sure you're okay with me talking to Aria about this? I understand if you want to keep it between us."

"I'm not going to be the cause of any tension or secrets between the two of you," she said. "I'm fine with it. I trust both of you. I just hope Bailey will do the same so maybe we can finally do something about it."

"So do I. I would love nothing more than to stop him from hurting her or anyone else. I somehow get the feeling that this isn't just limited to the two of you."

"I've thought the same thing for a long time," she sighed. "I'm going to call her right now and tell her she needs to cancel whatever plans she has this weekend. And it would appear you and Aria need to talk."

"It would appear so," I said. "Um, look, my brain is too fried to even think about cooking and with Aria writing her paper, I don't think she'll want to cook either. I'm probably just going to order a pizza tonight. You in?"

"Why don't you let me cook?" Alexis said. "You guys have been treating me like a guest for too long. If I'm going to be here for a while, you should let me contribute a little. And I actually happen to be a really good cook."

"I won't complain," I told her. "Knock yourself out. Thanks."

She laughed a little, and I headed upstairs. Aria had her noise cancelling headphones on and was staring at her computer screen intently. She didn't even notice me come in until I sat down next to her and kissed her head. She jumped a little, then took her headphones off.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I chuckled. "Um, look, can you take a break for a little while? Something happened today. I wanted to talk to Alexis about it first since it involves her, but I can't keep this from you. Basically because I need to talk to someone about it and you're the only person I really can talk to."

"What is it?" Aria asked.

I took a deep breath, then told her about what had happened at work and about the conversation I'd just had with Alexis. I talked for a good fifteen or twenty minutes, and I had tears in my eyes by the time I was done. This was just all a little too much to handle.

"And we thought we left all the craziness behind in Rosewood," Aria chuckled dryly. "Wow."

"I think what kills me more than anything is that I literally can't do anything about what I know unless Alexis's sister comes to me and tells me about it personally," I told her. "I just have to live with the knowledge that a man who molests his own children, and probably other children too, is still allowed to teach at that high school."

"And the chances of her trusting you are pretty slim, even if Alexis does talk to her," she pointed out. "You always made yourself approachable and available to your students when we were in Rosewood and I doubt that's changed, but you're still a man. It's a man who's been hurting her, so I don't see her being very willing to trust any men at all, let alone one she's known for less than a year."

"Although I've been honest with my students about why I've missed so much time this year."

"That could actually work in your favor here. She might realize that you're sensitive to this type of thing. I hope she does, because I know there's nothing you want more than to be able to help her right now."

"You're right," I told her.

"You know, the fact that you care so much about your students is one of the reasons I love you," she said, giving me a kiss. "It always has been. Ever since I've known you."

"I even care about them after they're done being my students in some cases," I chuckled. "Which is why I'm going to let you get back to writing your paper. Alexis actually offered to cook tonight, so I'll come get you when dinner's ready."

"Thanks," Aria sighed. "This American Government class is kicking my ass. But I'm about halfway done with this, thank God."

I walked back out of the bedroom so Aria could concentrate on her writing and went to watch TV in the living room for a while.

"Hey," Alexis said when I came back down. "Um, how do you feel about me bringing Bailey over here for a little while this weekend? She really wanted to see Belle. I know she's your student so I understand if you're not comfortable with it."

"I'm fine with it," I told her. "Aria and I can find something to do for the afternoon so you girls can have the place to yourselves for a while."

"Thank you," she said, sounding like she was about to cry.

"How many times do I have to tell you this is your house too right now? I appreciate you asking about it, but I want you to feel comfortable here. Really."

She smiled. "So what did Aria have to say about all of this?"

I sat down on the couch and almost immediately found myself with a puppy in my lap. I couldn't help but smile as I scratched behind Belle's ears and under her chin. Aria and I were going to have to have a conversation about getting a dog of our own once Alexis moved back out. I was getting pretty attached to this little furball.

"She pointed out that as much as I try to make myself approachable and available to my students, Bailey still might be hesitant to trust me," I sighed. "It's a man who's been hurting her, someone she's supposed to be able to trust, so she's probably not going to jump at the idea of telling a male authority figure about this."

"And she's right, unfortunately," Alexis sighed. "I hope she does, though. I can't begin to tell you how much I hope she does. Anyway, what are you watching?"

"Aria actually introduced me to _Castle_ a while back. You ever seen it?"

"No, but I've heard good things."

"I'm hooked," I told her. "I went out and bought the first few seasons so I could watch it from the beginning. Up for an episode or two while Aria's finishing her paper?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, sitting down in the recliner next to the couch.

I went and grabbed the first season and threw the first disc in. This was exactly what I needed after today. A little comic relief. Which this show, while a crime show, had an abundance of.

 **Aria**

That Saturday, Ezra and I pulled back up to the house after going to lunch and a movie to find Alexis's car in the driveway. Either she'd already dropped her sister back off at home or they were still here. Ezra hesitated, not turning the car off after we parked it.

"Ezra, maybe this is a good thing," I said. "If Alexis's sister can see that Alexis is comfortable around you after being hurt by not just one man, but two, maybe she'll be more willing to approach you at school."

"Or maybe it'll just shut her down more," he countered.

"I doubt that," I told him. "And maybe if she meets me, it might help too."

"You're right," he sighed. "Okay, let's do this."

He turned off the car and we walked in. Belle immediately ran up to us and started jumping up on us and giving us kisses. I giggled as I bent down to pet her. Alexis and her sister were still sitting in the living room. Her sister looked a lot like her, and also looked a little uncomfortable with us walking in.

"Hey, guys," Alexis said. "Wow, I didn't even realize how late it was getting."

"It's cool," I said immediately.

"Um, Ezra, I think you know my sister, right?" she prodded.

"Yes, I do," Ezra chuckled. "Hi, Bailey."

"Hey, Mr. Fitz," she said awkwardly.

"Um, Bailey, this is Aria. My fiancée," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Hi, Bailey," I said, holding out a hand, which she shook tentatively. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too."

"Um, we'll leave you guys," I told them. "We'll go upstairs. Alexis, don't worry about Belle when you go to take Bailey home."

"Actually, Aria, would you mind staying down here?" Alexis asked.

"Sure," I told her.

Ezra took the hint immediately. He kissed my head and squeezed my shoulder.

"I'll be upstairs," he said quietly, then turned to go into the bedroom.

I went and sat in the recliner next to the couch and turned to face Alexis and Bailey. Alexis looked glad that I'd stayed down here, while Bailey looked more than a little uncomfortable and nervous.

"Aria, I was telling Bailey that the same professor who hurt me a few years ago hurt you a few months ago," Alexis said. "I was telling her that was actually the reason I met you and Ezra."

"That's right," I said. "Ezra actually met you a little bit before it happened, if I remember right. Because you wanted to tell him what Mr. Thomas did to you to try to keep it from happening to me."

"Yep," she said. "And you and I talked on the phone the night before it happened, right?"

"Yes, we did. You were very brave to tell us what had happened to you. And it actually did help me. Because when he tried to do the same thing to me, I was prepared. I was able to record it and I was able to fight back so he didn't hurt me quite as bad as he hurt you."

"Wait a second," Bailey said. "I remember that day. Mr. Fitz's class is actually my last class of the day, and we all heard when we were coming into the class that he'd had to leave in the middle of fifth period because you were in the hospital. And he was out the next day too. Everyone in that class said he looked like he was about to cry when he was leaving."

I smiled and chuckled a little. That sounded about right.

"Sounds like him," I said. "I was surprised he managed not to cry. He was on the verge of it pretty much all weekend."

"Really? Even when he was re-proposing to you?" Alexis chuckled.

"Okay, you got me. Not then," I giggled.

"Wait. Re-proposing?" Bailey asked.

"Yeah," I said, still giggling. "You can probably tell I'm younger than him. And he actually originally wanted to wait a few years to get married because he wanted to be sure I was really ready before taking that big of a step. He really only proposed initially because he was moving here with me and he wanted to show me he was serious about his decision. But after what happened with Mr. Thomas, he told me that he didn't want to wait anymore. He'd actually taken me out of town for a few days to decompress, so we were in the middle of downtown St. Augustine, Florida when we had the conversation. And he literally got down on one knee right there in front of the fort, in front of at least fifteen or twenty people, and re-proposed to me, this time asking me to marry him now and not wait anymore."

"Aww," Bailey chuckled. "That's adorable. I've always thought he seemed like a hopeless romantic."

"Oh, he is," I agreed. "Big time. He's a huge softie."

"How did he act at the hospital when he got there?" Alexis asked.

"He was amazing," I said, looking at Bailey as I was answering the question. "One of my friends had told him a little bit about what happened. Just enough so he wasn't going into the room completely blind. So when he came back into the ER to see me, he was just supportive and he told me I didn't have to talk about it if I didn't want to and never pushed me to tell him anything. Though I did tell him everything once we got back to his apartment. And he barely let me lift a finger the whole weekend. Which was probably a good thing seeing as I had a fracture in one of my vertebrae and second degree chemical burns on my right arm."

"Oh, my God," Bailey gasped. "What were the chemical burns from?"

"Photo developing chemicals. It happened in the darkroom and someone hadn't emptied the chemicals out of one of the bins like they were supposed to."

"It looked really painful from the pictures we saw in court," Alexis told me. "Not to mention that monster bruise on your back."

"Yeah, it hurt like hell," I admitted. "Even prescription painkillers didn't really do much for the first few days. They just took the edge off."

"You were still hurting pretty good when I finally met you in person, if I remember right," Alexis said. "You had that big, awkward back brace on."

"I did," I remembered. "It was torture sitting on those wooden chairs and benches all day. Ezra let me lean on him when I could, but I still had to sit up straight since it was a courtroom."

"Aria, would you trust Ezra to be discreet if you told him something in confidence?" Alexis prodded.

"I trust him with my life," I answered. "Not a lot of people here in Savannah know this, but Ezra actually saved my life once. I had some pretty bad stuff happen to me in high school, and he jumped in front of me and my friends to take a bullet for us one night. He almost died."

"Seriously?" Bailey asked.

"Seriously. He still has the scar from where they took the bullet out of his stomach. And even after that, he never stopped trying to help me and my friends stop what was happening to us. He didn't just care about me. He cared about my friends too, because he cares about all of his students."

"Wait. Back up. He was your teacher?"

"Yeah, he was," I chuckled. "We actually met before he started teaching at my high school, but yes, he was my teacher. And given that I'm a freshman in college and engaged to him now, I'll let you do the math. But I was really the one who encouraged it, not the other way around."

"Did he ever…use your grades against you or anything?" she asked.

"Never," I told her. "He wasn't trying to manipulate me. He wasn't trying to hurt me. We just fell in love, even though we both knew it was…unconventional, to say the least. He actually ended up taking a job teaching at a local college for a while because of our relationship. Because he didn't _want_ to be my teacher."

"What happened with that?"

I chuckled. "My dad taught there too. He was actually the one who got Ezra the job. But when he found out about us, he first tried to get him transferred to New Orleans and when he turned down the promotion and transfer, he got him fired."

"That's pretty crazy," Bailey said.

"Look, Mr. White already knows all of this, but even still, I just told you something that could cause a lot of trouble for him at school if word gets around."

"I won't say anything, I promise," she told me. "As far as I'm concerned, this conversation never happened. It's probably not very kosher for me to be sitting in my English teacher's living room."

"Probably not," I agreed. "But I told you that to help you understand that if you need someone you can trust, you can always go to him at school. No matter what. If you need help with an assignment, if you're being bullied, if someone's hurting you. I've never met a teacher, not even my mom or my dad, who cares as much about each and every one of their students as Ezra does. He always has, ever since I've known him."

"And you know everything I've been through like no one else does, Bee," Alexis chimed in. "If I trust him enough to live in his house while I'm here for the trial, that should tell you something."

"But what could he really do to help?" Bailey asked.

I looked at Alexis, and she nodded. She wanted me to field this question.

"Legally, if you tell him something that makes him think you're in danger, he has to act on it," I told her. "He'll work with your guidance counselor and he'll help make the situation better. If it means talking to other students or other students' parents or making a call to child protective services, he'll do it. He has to help you, by law. But more than that, if there's someone hurting one of his students, whether it's another student or another teacher or even their parents, he would _want_ to know about it. Because he would want to help make sure no one could hurt them again."

"But Lex and I have both tried to tell teachers before and no one believed us," Bailey countered.

"I promise you, he'll believe you," I told her.

"Yeah, Dad actually said some pretty telling stuff to him in the teachers' lounge a few days ago," Alexis chimed in. "But he needs to hear it from you to be able to do anything about it. You don't have to decide what to do right now, but just think about it."

"I will. I promise, I'll think about it," Bailey said.

"So what's been your favorite book you've read in his class this year?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't want to push her too much.

"Um, I really liked _The Great Gatsby_ ," she said.

"That's one of my favorites too," I told her. "I actually read it just for fun even before he taught it. But I liked it even more once I read it for class and really got into all the symbolism and stuff."

"And it was hard reading it, but I liked the story of _Scarlet Letter_ ," she said. "He actually made it kind of fun. He had us come up with a crime we'd been accused of and wear a letter all day, then do a little presentation on it."

I laughed. "Do you want to know who came up with that assignment?"

"No way," she giggled. "You?"

"Yep," I told her. "He was kind of frustrated because he felt like he wasn't really getting through to you guys, so I helped him do some searching for ideas and we settled on that one. What was your crime?"

"I was a liar," she said.

"I remember talking to you about that assignment on the phone," Alexis said. "It was before I came back to Savannah. You really had a lot of fun with that, huh?"

"Yeah, I did," Bailey agreed. "It was just something fun and different. Not something you'd think an English teacher would come up with."

"Well, when that English teacher has a fiancée who actually had to learn that book just a couple of years ago, it helps," I chuckled.

"You should have seen all the looks we all got at school that day," Bailey laughed. "Like a hundred students walking around with these letters pinned to their shirts. It was pretty priceless."

"I'm sure it was," I said.

"Anyway, it's getting kind of late," Alexis sighed. "I should probably take you home, Bee."

"I know," she said, standing up. "Thanks for today. It was a lot of fun. It was really nice to meet you, Aria."

"It was nice meeting you too, Bailey," I said. "I hope I see you again soon. You're more than welcome to come see Alexis and Belle whenever you want."

"Thanks, but it's just a little weird, seeing as it's Mr. Fitz's house," she chuckled.

"Well, he'll hide out upstairs and pretend he's not here if it makes you more comfortable," I teased. "Seriously, though, you're welcome here any time. I'll see you later."

"See you," she said.

"Aria, you sure you don't want me to put Belle up?" Alexis asked.

"No, it's fine," I told her. "Ezra and I aren't going anywhere."

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you in a little while."

"Okay," I said, getting up to head upstairs.

I found Ezra in the bedroom wearing my noise cancelling headphones while looking intently at his laptop. He hadn't wanted to hear any of what we were talking about. Not that he probably would have anyway, but it was still a nice gesture. I walked up and took them off of him. He chuckled and closed his laptop and put it on his nightstand before pulling me down into bed with him.

"Hey," he said. "So?"

"Bailey's a sweet girl," I told him. "We didn't get into any specifics, but Alexis and I were both just trying to tell her that she can trust you and that if something bad is happening to her, you would want to know about it so you could help. She promised to think about it, so I think it might take a little while, but she'll probably eventually come to you."

"I hope so," he sighed. "Do you want to know what I was doing?"

"What?" I asked.

"Giving myself a refresher course in exactly how to handle this kind of conversation, if she does come to me. There's a lot of legality involved and I want to make sure I don't do anything that could get this thrown out of the courts."

I smiled. "That's smart. You know, I think she really likes your class. And she loved that _Scarlet Letter_ assignment. She said the looks she and her classmates got walking around school with those letters on all day were pretty priceless."

He chuckled. "You should have seen the looks I got in the teacher's lounge when I wore my letter in there."

"You never did tell me what your crime was," I realized suddenly.

"Something that I would never in a million years do in real life," he said. "I was a plagiarist."

We both laughed.

"Well, that's appropriate for you, though. Seems like that assignment's a keeper," I said.

"For sure," Ezra agreed. "Just like the girl who helped me come up with it."

"Smooth," I chuckled, giving him a kiss.


	17. When It Rains, It Pours

Chapter Seventeen  
 _When It Rains, It Pours_

 **Ezra**

It took a couple of weeks before I made any progress at all with Bailey. Or, more accurately, before she made any progress with me. Since I couldn't say anything or ask any leading questions, I had to just sit there and wait for her to come to me. She wasn't failing my class, she wasn't acting out, she wasn't hurting herself or other students, and she wasn't displaying any other behavior that was cause for concern. So I didn't have any cause to question her about anything.

The day before jury selection for the retrial, Bailey walked up to me after class was over, looking nervous. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

"Mr. Fitz, do you have a couple of minutes?" she asked me.

"Yes, of course," I told her. "Come on, let's go into my office."

I led Bailey back into my office and pulled up a chair next to my desk for her, which she immediately sat in. I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself for what I was sure was coming. Everything I'd read told me that I needed to remain as calm as possible when she was talking to me, that I shouldn't appear shocked or outraged. That was going to be…difficult, to say the least. I already wanted to throttle her father with my bare hands for hurting her and her sister.

"What's on your mind, Bailey?" I asked, sitting down in my office chair and turning to face her.

"If I tell you something, can it stay between us?" she asked me.

I sighed. I'd read this too. A lot of students wanted things to be kept in confidence. But legally, I couldn't promise that. According to what I'd read, it was best to tell them this up front and help them understand that while no one who didn't _need_ to know would find out, there very well might be people who _did_ need to know.

"I promise you, I will not tell anyone who doesn't need to know," I told her. "But depending on what it is that you tell me, there may be people who do need to know about it. Legally, if you tell me something that makes me think you need help, I have to get you help."

She nodded. "I understand. But you're not going to tell any of my other teachers or anything, right?"

"I _can_ promise you that much. They don't fall under the category of people who would need to know."

"Okay," she sighed. "I don't even know where to start."

"Take your time," I said quietly. "I've got all the time in the world."

Bailey started crying before she even got a word out. I grabbed the box of tissues off of my desk and put it in front of her. My heart was already breaking for her. I wished I could say something to get the conversation started so she would tell me and I could help her. But I couldn't ask anything that would be perceived as a leading question.

"Um, my dad…" Bailey sniffled a few minutes later. "He's hurting me. He has been for a while. Years."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down before responding.

"What do you mean, he's hurting you?" I asked. I could at least do this. Ask for clarification.

"He's abusing me. Well, I guess the right word would be molesting. He's…forcing me to sleep with him. Touching me in inappropriate places. He's been doing it pretty much since I've hit puberty. He did it to my sister too until she moved out of the house. I've tried to stop it, but I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm scared to be at home with him. I'm scared to have any friends over to the house because I don't want him to hurt them too. I'm scared of what he'll do if he finds out that I'm even talking to anyone about this. I'm never not scared."

I choked back my own tears. This was so much worse than I'd thought it would be. It took everything in me not to run out of this office and go kill this incestuous bastard with my bare hands. How anyone could do this to their own flesh and blood was beyond me.

"It's not your fault," I told her. "None of this is your fault."

She chuckled and wiped her eyes. "I know, but sometimes it kind of feels like it is. Like if I was just a little stronger or if I just acted a little different, maybe he wouldn't want to touch me anymore."

"Listen to me," I said. "There's nothing you could be doing differently. It's not your responsibility to stop this from happening."

"I guess you're right. I just want it to stop. I want more than anything to be a normal teenager. With normal teenager problems."

"I understand that. I think you know I have to make a call about this, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Are they going to remove me from the house? Put me in foster care? I know staying with my sister isn't an option right now because she's staying with you. And we don't have any other family close by."

"I can't answer that," I sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen. But I can tell you that you're not going to be alone. You've got Alexis in your corner. And if you'll let us, Aria and I will be there for you too. Unfortunately, with what happened to Aria last semester, I've been through something very similar in court recently. Not with a minor, but still. I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen if this goes to trial."

"And now I'm dragging you through it again," Bailey said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," I told her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you have any idea how brave you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that a lot of kids wouldn't even have the courage to come forward and talk to someone about something like this. But you did. That makes you one of the bravest people I know. I really appreciate you trusting me enough to tell me. Because that means I can get you the help you need."

"Alexis and Aria both told me I could trust you. Aria told me you almost died helping her and her friends when they needed it. And that you would want to know if one of your students was having trouble so you could help them too."

I smiled. "She was telling you the truth. About both things. I did jump in front of her and her friends and take the bullet when someone fired a gun at them last year. And I care every bit as much about you and your classmates as I still care about her and her friends. Okay, that's a lie. I care about Aria more. But you see my point."

Bailey laughed. "I would hope you care about your fiancée more. But I get what you're trying to say."

"And I even got a smile out of you," I chuckled.

Right then my cell phone buzzed with a call. I checked and it was Aria. I declined the call.

"Speaking of Aria," I said.

"If you need to answer it, it's okay," Bailey said. "I can wait."

"Nope," I said. "Right now, you are more important. _She_ can wait."

My phone buzzed again. She was calling back. I sighed. She never did this. I declined it again, but looked up at Bailey.

"I'm sorry, but do you mind if I send her a quick text and make sure she's okay?" I asked.

"Go ahead," she said.

 _With a student,_ I wrote to Aria. _You okay?_

I got a text back within thirty seconds.

 _I don't want to freak you out, but someone's been in the house. Police are on their way. More when you get home._

Well, maybe she couldn't wait. I might have to leave. But if she could handle this, I'd explain it to her later. As much as I could.

 _Do you need me to finish with the student later?_ I asked her.

 _No. It doesn't look like anything was taken and I'm fine. I'll deal with the police and fill you in when you get here_.

She didn't miss a thing. She'd obviously read between the lines and figured out which student I was with.

 _Thank you,_ I wrote back. _I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you._

 _Love you too. See you when you get home,_ Aria responded.

I smiled a little and then turned back to Bailey.

"Okay, she'll be alright for a little bit," I said. "We can keep talking."

 **Aria**

I pulled up to the house and saw that I'd beaten Ezra home. And Alexis wasn't here either. She'd gone up to North Carolina to get some stuff from her and Jacob's apartment there. She was going to be back late tonight to make sure she was here for the jury selection tomorrow.

It was ninety-three degrees with about eighty percent humidity today. I was literally sweating just walking from my car to the house. When I got to the door, I discovered it was unlocked, which freaked me out a little, but I thought one of us, maybe even me, had just forgotten to lock it this morning. It didn't seem likely, but it was possible. I walked in, taking note of how everything looked, and couldn't find anything that seemed out of place. Maybe one of us really had just forgotten to lock the door. I'd have to talk to Ezra when he got home. Then I went to the laundry room to let Belle out…only to find that she wasn't there.

"Belle?" I called nervously.

Nothing. Normally she came running whenever we called her. I went looking through the entire house, checking in our bedroom, Alexis's bedroom, the third bedroom/office, the bathroom, the closets, everything. When I got to the kitchen, I saw how whoever it was had gotten in. One of the windows there was broken out and pretty much completely cleared. I didn't know how I hadn't seen that before. Well, that was a problem I could deal with in a minute. Right now, I had a (probably very scared) puppy to find. And there was only one other place she could be. I walked out the back door.

Belle was there, lying in the backyard under a tree. When I got to her, I saw that she was panting loudly, foaming at the mouth, and looked like she was about to pass out from heat exhaustion. She'd been out here for a while, probably at least a few hours, without any food or water.

"Oh, my God. Belle," I said quietly, bending down to pet her.

She looked up at me, clearly glad to see someone she knew and loved, but too weak and tired to get up and do anything. I put my hand near her mouth and she gave it a small lick, but nothing like she usually did. Poor baby.

"Come here, sweet girl," I said, grunting a little as I picked her up. "You know, you're getting too heavy for this. Come on. Let's go inside."

I set her down on the floor when we got inside and she just laid right back down. She was too exhausted even to walk to her water bowl. This wasn't good. I picked her back up and set her down on the couch, then went to get some ice cubes. I went and sat next to her on the couch and held one of the ice cubes out. She licked at it a little bit and then ate it. I gave her another couple of ice cubes and then went and got her water bowl and filled it up with some fresh water and put it on the floor in front of the couch. She'd perked up a little bit after eating the ice cubes and hopped down from the couch and drank all of the water within a few minutes. I went and got some more for her, and she drank a little more before laying back down. Then I realized that she hadn't eaten anything for most of the day either and went to get her food bowl and filled it up with her dog food. She ate some of it, but seemed to just be glad to be back in air conditioning with water more than anything else.

Now that I was satisfied that Belle didn't need to go to the vet right this second, I could focus on the other piece of this puzzle. Clearly someone had gotten into the house. We had a broken kitchen window as proof of that. I called the police and they promised to have someone there soon. Then I went looking through everything in the house, seeing if it looked like anything had been taken. Nothing appeared out of place. This wasn't anyone who was trying to get anything from us. Someone was just trying to mess with us. Which meant either someone connected to the trial or Alexis's father. I would have said the new A, except that I was sure I would have gotten a text by now if it was them.

I checked the time and realized Ezra should have been home at least an hour ago. I called him and it went to voicemail almost immediately. I tried again with the same result. He was clearly declining the calls. Which wasn't like him at all. But I got a text a few seconds later.

 _With a student. You okay?_

I hoped that student was Bailey. I was fairly certain it was. Otherwise he would have taken the call. And if she was finally talking to him, I wasn't going to stop that conversation for this. It wasn't like anything had been stolen. At least not that I could see. And I wasn't hurt.

 _I don't want to freak you out, but someone's been in the house. Police are on their way. More when you get home._

 _Do you need me to finish with the student later?_ he texted back.

Yep. It was Bailey. If it was anyone else he would have bolted out the door immediately.

 _No. It doesn't look like anything was taken and I'm fine,_ I told him. _I'll deal with the police and fill you in when you get here._

 _Thank you,_ Ezra wrote. _I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you._

I smiled. I'd never get tired of hearing that. Even in a text.

 _Love you too,_ I replied. _See you when you get home._

The police got to the house just as I was hitting send. I explained what I'd found to the officers and they dusted for fingerprints. Of course they didn't find anything. Because naturally whoever it was would have been wearing gloves. They even took Belle's collar to dust for prints. And nothing.

The more I thought about this, I realized that whoever had broken in had to be someone Belle knew and trusted. As friendly as she was, she was also a little wary of new people. Becca had tried to let her out back once when she was over here and she'd refused to go until I came with. So for her to have gone outside with someone, she had to have trusted them. And I could think of only one person who knew Belle who would do this. Alexis's father. I would have to ask Ezra if he'd gotten any texts when he got home. Because he didn't have my number, so he wouldn't have been able to text me to taunt me about what he'd done. With this new piece of the puzzle, I realized that if we were rounding up suspects for the new A, he would be at the top of my list.

When Ezra still wasn't home after the police left, I didn't want to be alone, so I called Jordan to come over. Becca and Kendra had rehearsal for _Producers_ tonight. Becca was ensemble and Kendra had actually landed Ulla. I was really looking forward to seeing that because it was so different from her normal personality, just like Roxie had been for Becca.

Jordan and Aiden were at the house within ten minutes (she'd joked that she wanted muscle just in case). Aiden looked right at the broken window as they were walking up to the door.

"Hey, do you need some help boarding up that window?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," I said. "I just didn't really want to go out and get anything and leave the house wide open with no one here."

"Baby, give me your keys," he said to Jordan; she handed them over. "Stay here with Aria. I'll run to the hardware store and get some plywood. Aria, do you guys have a tool set?"

"Yeah, it's in the laundry room," I told him.

"Awesome. I'll be back," Aiden said, then went and got back in the car and left.

"I'd say he's a keeper," I said to Jordan as we walked into the living room.

She giggled. "Yeah, I think so too. So where's Ezra? I would have thought he would run home when you told him about this."

I sighed. "All I can tell you is that he's helping a student with something important. I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not even supposed to know. He did ask me if I needed him to come home, but I knew this student needed him more than I did."

"Okay. You don't have to tell me anything else. How's Belle doing?"

"I think she's okay. I don't know. She hasn't eaten a lot, but she's been drinking water like nobody's business. I think she's just wiped out. See, she seems fine."

"Yeah, she does," she agreed, kneeling down to pet the dog. "My mom's actually a vet tech. I called her on the way over and told her what you told me. She said that as long as Belle is drinking water and has perked up a little bit, which it seems like she has, she should be fine."

"Good," I sighed, putting my head in my hands. "God, this day sucks."

"It's over now," Jordan said, rubbing my back. "I'm sure Ezra will be home soon. Aiden is going to get that window secured. And Belle's okay. It sucks, but it's not nearly as bad as it could have been."

"I know," I told her. "Everything that's happening today could not be at a worse time, though. Alexis is gone and she trusted me and Ezra with Belle. That window is broken and we have to be gone all day tomorrow for the jury selection so we can't get it fixed. And the other thing that's happening with Ezra's student…well, I wish it had happened at a different time. That's all I can say."

Aiden was back within half an hour with plywood and made quick work of boarding up the window. I tried to pay him back for the materials, but he wouldn't take the money. He said he was just glad he could help. And he and Jordan just hung out with me watching a movie until Ezra got home, which wasn't until about seven. As soon as he walked in the door, they got up and said their goodbyes. They knew Ezra and I had a lot to talk about.

"I'm so sorry," Ezra said quietly, pulling me in for the world's tightest hug as we were still standing in the doorway. "I feel like the worst fiancé on the planet."

"No, you're not," I told him. "You're the best fiancé on the planet. And you're the best teacher on the planet too. I know Bailey needed you more than I did. I'm glad she finally talked to you, and I'm glad you stayed and helped her. I've never been more proud to be with you."

"You don't miss a thing," he said, kissing my head, still not letting go of me. "And you probably guessed I had an important phone call to make when I was done with her. I couldn't do it here because you're not even supposed to know what you know. I couldn't let you hear what I told CPS."

"The timing sucks for this," I sighed, pulling back to look at him. "For all of it. For us to have a broken window and for Alexis to be out of town. When it rains, it pours."

"I just hope Alexis gets back before things start happening. Bailey's so scared. I don't blame her. She has no idea what's going to happen, and I couldn't tell her for sure because I don't know either. And I think it should go without saying that you didn't just hear any of this."

"Hear any of what?" I teased.

"Exactly," he chuckled.

"Hey, I know this is a weird question, but have you gotten any texts from anyone other than me?" I asked him.

"I haven't even looked at my cell phone since you and I texted this afternoon," he said. "Hang on."

He pulled out his phone and checked his texts. And he froze for a second before holding it out to me. He had gotten a text.

 _Who let the dog out?  
-A_

"What does that mean?" he asked. "I'm confused."

"Let's sit down," I said, going back to the couch, where Belle was still laying down.

I picked Belle up and put her in my lap, and she kissed my hand and arm for a second before curling up into a ball. I scratched behind her ears and petted her a little. She was still wiped out, but I didn't think she needed to go to the vet. Especially not after what Jordan had told me. She was drinking water and she'd even eaten some food. Ezra sat next to me and rubbed the top of her head. Her tail wagged a little and she gave Ezra a doggie kiss too. We both chuckled. She was pretty adorable.

"Okay, so when I got home this afternoon, the front door was unlocked," I started. "I thought it was weird, but I thought maybe we'd just forgotten to lock the door when we walked out this morning. I knew it was unlikely, but anything's possible. I came in and nothing seemed out of place, but when I went to let Belle out of the laundry room, she wasn't there. I looked all through the house for her and didn't find her. I didn't even notice the broken window until I got into the kitchen. Anyway, I found Belle out in the backyard lying under a tree, panting and foaming at the mouth. She'd been out there for at least a couple hours with no water. I honestly thought I might have to take her to the vet, but she perked up a little after I brought her inside and gave her some ice cubes and water. Then I looked through the house and unless I missed something, it didn't look like anything was taken. So I called the police and they came and dusted for prints. Of course, they didn't find anything."

"Who in the hell would have done this? Broken into our house just to put the dog outside and try to kill her from heat stroke?" he asked. "For that matter, who even knew Belle was here?"

"I think you can answer your own question if you think about it," I told him.

"Adam," he sighed. "Damn it."

"Do you think he knew Bailey was going to talk to you today?" I asked.

"No," he said immediately. "If he'd known that, I think this would have been a lot worse. He was just trying to intimidate us and Alexis. Have you told her yet?"

"No. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Who boarded up the window, by the way?"

"Aiden. As soon as he saw it, he left Jordan here with me and went to the hardware store and bought plywood. I tried to pay him back for it, but he wouldn't take the money."

"He's a good kid," Ezra said. "Look, why don't you call Alexis? I'm ordering a pizza. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Okay," I said.

Ezra got up from the couch and went to get the local pizza place's menu.

"Shit!" I heard not even thirty seconds later. "Damn it!"

I put Belle down on the floor and ran into the kitchen.

"What is it, babe?" I asked.

"Looks like you were right," he said, holding his phone out to me. "We're not staying here tonight."

I took his phone and saw that he'd gotten another text message.

 _People who stick their noses where they don't belong get what's coming to them eventually.  
-A_

"Crap," I said. "He knows you called CPS. And he knows where we live. God knows if they've arrested him or not. Maybe they just removed Bailey from the house. If he's not in jail, who knows what he's capable of now?"

"My thoughts exactly. I'm booking a hotel room and we're getting ourselves and Belle out of here at least for the night if not longer," he said.

"I'll go start packing a bag," I told him. "We can call Alexis from the car. We'd better book a second room for her. She's getting back late tonight."

"Yeah, you're right. God damn it."

"How about we focus the anger where it belongs? At that child-molesting, animal-abusing burglar. And channel it into getting this situation under control before you have a meltdown."

He chuckled tensely. "Do you know I have no idea what I would do without you?"

"Me either. I love you," I told him.

Ezra kissed me for the first time since he'd been home and pulled me close. I wished I could just stay here in his arms forever and ignore the very real problems facing us right now.

"I don't think 'I love you' quite covers it," he said. "Okay, go get a bag packed. I'll get a couple of rooms booked and get Belle's stuff together."

"Okay," I replied, and headed upstairs.

Half an hour later, we were in the car and I was dialing Alexis's number. She answered on the first ring.

"Aria," she said. "What's going on?"

"What's _not_ going on would be the better question," I sighed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I took a deep breath and gave her the short version of everything that had happened today. Including Bailey finally talking to Ezra, since it was kind of a crucial part of all of this now.

"Jesus," Alexis said when I was done. "I picked a hell of a time to leave town for a few days."

I chuckled. "That thought crossed my mind too."

"Is Belle okay now?" she asked.

"Yeah, she seems to be. She's just happy to be riding in the car right now," I chuckled again.

She laughed a little. "Sounds like she's just fine then."

"Has Bailey called you?" I asked. I was kind of curious to know what exactly was happening with that, and if Alexis told me, it wouldn't be violating any confidentiality.

"Yeah, she called a little while ago. I guess she's been talking to the police and social services for a while. She said Ezra was pretty great when he was talking to her."

"Which comes as such a shock because?" I teased.

"It doesn't," Alexis chuckled. "I knew he would be."

"Where is she staying tonight?"

"I guess one of her friends' parents is letting her stay with them for a few days until I can figure out what to do," she told me. "I'm going to have to find a place where she can stay with me. God, I hope they arrest my dad so I can just take her back home."

"And so we can go back home," I sighed. "Since we've figured out he's the new A, Ezra and I really don't feel safe staying there right now."

"I don't imagine you do. Thanks for getting me a room for tonight too. You guys didn't have to do that."

"Well, we do have your dog. And it's your father who's threatening us. I somehow don't think you're excluded from that threat," I pointed out.

"Speaking of threats," Ezra said, holding his phone out to me. "We just pissed him off even more."

I looked at his phone. There was another text.

 _Running away like the coward you are? Why don't we settle this like men? Or is that too confrontational for you?  
-A_

"Hey, Alexis, I've got to go," I told her.

"Okay," she said. "Call me if anything changes. And I'll keep you updated about Bailey."

"Please do," I told her. "We'll talk to you soon."

I hung up and turned to Ezra.

"Well, at least he doesn't know where we're going. And this is a tourist town. There's a hundred hotels. It'd take Mr. Fisher way too much time to find us," I told him. "We're safe."

"If it's even him. What did Alexis tell you about Bailey?" he asked.

"Apparently she's been talking to the police and social services for a while."

"What do you think the likelihood is that the police aren't questioning him too?" he pointed out. "I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that he's at the police station right now."

"Which means he couldn't have sent that text just now," I realized. "Wait a second. Was he at work today? Did you see him?"

"Yes, he was. Why?"

"If he was at work, it couldn't have been him who broke into the house. I still think he's got something to do with this, but he has to have someone helping him. Someone who could get into the house in the middle of the day when they knew no one would be home for a few hours."

"Why in the hell didn't I think about that?" Ezra said, shaking his head. "You're right."

"Great," I sighed. "Now it's not just one person. We've got another A team on our hands."


	18. Escalation

Chapter Eighteen  
 _Escalation_

 **Ezra**

Aria and I were sitting on our hotel room bed being kept company by a very confused and clingy puppy at about ten at night when I got a call from Mr. White. I debated not answering it, but if he suddenly needed me to teach tomorrow because he needed the sub that was supposed to be in my class to cover Adam Fisher's class, I needed to know that.

"Mark," I answered.

"Ezra, I'm sorry for calling so late. I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I'm wide awake," I sighed. "What do you need?"

"Did you know that Adam Fisher was arrested for child abuse tonight?" he asked.

So he had been arrested. While I was glad for that, it also unfortunately meant Aria was right. He couldn't have been the one to send two of the three texts I'd gotten. We were dealing with at least one other person too.

"No, I didn't," I said.

"Wait. His daughter is staying with you right now, isn't she? Alexis?"

"Yes, she is."

"She didn't say anything to you about her father mistreating her or her sister, did she?" he asked me.

I sighed. I couldn't tell him about what I knew about Bailey. Not unless my name ended up on a witness list if he went to trial. In which case I would need to explain why I needed to be out on the day I was scheduled to testify.

"I can't answer that," I told him. "If I do know anything, it would have been told to me in confidence."

"I understand completely. I'm sorry for asking. I didn't realize Bailey was one of your students."

He caught on quick.

"Do you need to take the sub that was supposed to be covering my class tomorrow now?" I asked. "I don't want to make Aria go to the jury selection without me, but I understand if you need me there."

"No, I've got enough subs," he sighed. "I'm sorry to bother you. I guess I just needed to talk to someone. This is the second teacher at my school in a year who has been arrested for this."

"I know," I sighed. "It's sickening."

"To say the least. Honestly, I feel like I need to do something to address it at the next staff meeting."

"More than that, it almost seems like holding a school assembly is in order. To remind students that if they don't speak up about this, it won't stop. That there are still teachers who care about them and want to help them if someone's hurting them," I pointed out.

"That's also a good idea," Mr. White said.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but I should probably get going. This day has been…eventful. I had to stay late talking to a student, and while I was talking to that student, I got a call from Aria telling me that someone had broken into our house and done nothing other than let Alexis's four-month-old puppy out into the backyard in this crazy heat. The dog was almost unconscious from heat exhaustion by the time Aria got home and found her. And then I got a threatening message from the person who broke in and we're in a hotel room tonight because I didn't feel safe staying in my own house."

"My God," he gasped. "I'm so sorry, Ezra. Is there anything I can do?"

"No," I sighed. "I just need to get the window the person broke replaced and get a security system installed. So we might be in this room for a couple more days while that's happening."

"Tracy and I have a spare bedroom and bathroom," he told me. "If you don't want to keep crashing at a hotel, you're welcome to them for as long as you need."

"I'll have to talk to Aria, but we just might take you up on that. Once we figure out what Alexis is doing. I don't want to leave her hanging high and dry, especially not since her father's been arrested. I imagine she's probably going to have to take care of Bailey now."

"Of course. Just keep me posted. It's an open invitation."

"I will," I promised. "Thank you, Mark. Anyway, I'm going to let you go. I'm wiped and I don't think it would be kosher to fall asleep in the courtroom tomorrow."

"Probably not," he chuckled. "I'll talk to you later, Ezra."

"Talk to you later," I said, then hung up and turned to Aria. "How would you feel about staying with the Whites until we can get that window taken care of and get a security system installed?"

"It sounds a lot cheaper than paying for this room," Aria said. "Alexis just texted and told me she just got back to town. She's headed to the house to grab a few things and then she's coming here. She should be here within half an hour."

"Any more news on Bailey?" I asked.

"Her friend and her friend's mom came to the police station to pick her up about an hour ago and she's going to be staying there for the night," she told me. "That's all I know."

"You probably gathered that they arrested her dad. So I'm guessing Alexis is probably going to go back to their house to stay with Bailey."

"I hope she can. That sounds like the simplest option for Bailey. And Bailey needs simple right now. I'm going to need puppy visitation rights, though. I've gotten pretty attached," she chuckled.

"I know; me too," I agreed, scratching behind Belle's ears. "What do you think about getting a dog?"

"Maybe after the summer," she said. "I don't think it'd be fair to the dog to either board it or drag it all over the place while we're getting married."

"Deal," I said, smiling. "Come here."

I pulled Aria in for a hug and kissed her head. I still felt horrible for making her deal with the police by herself and making her call Jordan and Aiden to stay with her until I got home. Things with Bailey had taken a good two hours longer than I'd thought they would. And clearly Aria had been more scared than she was admitting if she hadn't wanted to be alone. But she'd been strong enough for the both of us tonight.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" I asked her.

She chuckled. "Enough to take me to a hotel room because of a text message. I know if it had just been you, you would still be at the house tonight."

"Maybe," I agreed. "I still feel like the worst fiancé on the planet for making you deal with that mess by yourself."

"Stop it," Aria said. "You're not. If it had been me, I would have done exactly what you did. I wasn't hurt. Nothing was stolen. More than anything, I was just worried about the dog. I was more than capable of dealing with the police by myself. And you stayed where you were needed most. I don't always have to be your number one priority. I'm not that insecure. I know that sometimes other people are more important. Today was one of those times."

"You do know that it's okay to admit you're scared, right?" I reminded her. "You don't always have to put on a brave face. You've been through a lot in your life. Sometimes it worries me that things like this don't affect you more."

She chuckled again. "You're right. I have been through a lot in my life. Which also means I've been through much worse than having someone break into my house and do nothing other than let the dog out. Where we're going to be tomorrow is proof that I've been through worse than that. I'm not going to say it didn't scare me a little, because it did, but I could handle it."

"Tell me the truth," I pressed. "If you couldn't handle it, if you had needed me to come home, would you have told me? Knowing what I was in the middle of?"

"Honestly? I don't know. That didn't even register with me. The only thing that did register with me was that I could deal with what was happening. You were talking to a very scared sixteen-year-old girl whose father was abusing her, and to me, that was more important than you coming home. There was nothing you could have been doing at home."

"You know I would have left in a heartbeat if you had asked me to, right?"

"I know," she said. "But I didn't need you to. I needed you to be there for Bailey. Just like you were there for me and my friends when we were dealing with A in high school. Because that man, the one who cares more about his students than any other teacher I've ever met, the one with a heart of gold who opened up his home to a girl he barely knew because he knew she needed somewhere to stay, that's the man I fell in love with. That's the man that I'm proud to say I'm engaged to."

I smiled and tilted her chin up for a kiss. "And the girl who has been to hell and back and is still stronger than anyone else I've ever met is the girl I'm proud to say I'm marrying in a few months."

Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Aria hopped out of bed and walked to the door, and Belle was right behind her. Aria picked her up so she wouldn't bolt out the door as soon as it was opened.

"Alexis?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me," came Alexis's voice.

Aria opened the door and let her in.

"Hey," she said. "I'm so sorry I'm so late. I know we have a big day tomorrow. We all need to get some sleep."

"I don't think any of us are going to get much sleep tonight," Aria sighed. "Except maybe Belle."

Alexis chuckled and took her dog back from Aria, then gave Aria a hug.

"Thank you for taking such good care of her," Alexis said. "I need you to know I don't blame you for what happened today. That was my dad and whoever is working with him, not you."

"So you figured out he's not working alone too?" Aria asked.

"Yep. My dad was in lockup when you got those last two texts. They charged and arrested him at about eight tonight. That was when Bailey called me."

"Speaking of Bailey, are you going to be taking custody?" I asked.

"I don't think it's that simple," Alexis sighed. "I'm going to go back to my dad's house and stay with her. But I have to talk to Jacob. I think he'll have to email or fax something stating that he's on board with the arrangement too. There's a lot of legality with making it official. I don't even know how it all works. I was going to ask Dan tomorrow when we see him. Maybe he can recommend a lawyer who specializes in this kind of stuff."

"Wait," Aria said. "Won't she be eighteen by the time he's back anyway?"

"Not quite. She'll still be seventeen for a few months when he gets back. She just turned sixteen a couple of months ago. She skipped third grade, so she's a year younger than most of her classmates."

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help, please let us know," I said.

"Thanks," she said. "I will."

"And we need puppy visitation rights," Aria teased.

Alexis giggled. "Of course. I think she's going to miss you guys too. Anyway, I'll let you try to get some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Night," Aria said.

"Night," Alexis said, shutting the door behind her as she walked out carrying Belle.

Aria came back to bed and nestled herself back into my arms without another word. It was almost like there was nothing else we could say. We were conveniently ignoring the most terrifying part of all of this. It wasn't having a boarded up window at our house. It wasn't what had happened to Belle. It wasn't even the knowledge that someone had been in our home. It was the knowledge that whoever this person was knew exactly what buttons to push to scare both of us. How to go about anonymously threatening us to inflict maximum terror. And we had no idea how they would have found out.

Not surprisingly, Aria's tossing and turning woke me up at about three in the morning. Of course she would be haunted by memories of the horrors of her past, both here and in Rosewood. I tried to gently shake her awake, but it didn't work. She remained fast asleep. I shook her a little harder. Still nothing.

"Aria," I said in a normal volume as I shook her even harder.

Her eyes popped open and she had a blank look on her face for a few seconds. Like she wasn't registering that she wasn't still in the middle of her dream. I brushed her hair off her face and waited for her to say something, but she didn't say anything. I was going to have to be the first one to talk.

"You're still safe, Aria," I reminded her. "It was a dream."

"God, it felt so real," she finally said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"I was back in the dollhouse," she said in a quivering voice. "I actually felt cold, just like I did when I woke up on that table. I'm still cold now."

I had nothing. No words. I didn't know what to say to comfort her, just like I hadn't known what to say when she'd first told me about everything she'd gone through down there. I just pulled the covers back up over her and pulled her close.

She chuckled a little. "Did I ever tell you that you were the only thing that kept me going down there? I had to hold on to something. Something I knew was real still. I knew you were real. I knew _we_ were real. She tried to take us back to before I met you, back to before Alison disappeared. She tried to brainwash us. She did the most horrifying and unimaginable things to us. Holding on to you was the only thing that kept me grounded. Reminded me of what was real. And it was what gave me hope. Because somewhere deep down, I knew you were looking for me. Fighting for me."

I kissed her forehead and squeezed her a little tighter. I'd never had something break my heart into a thousand pieces and make me happy at the same time until just now. Hearing that holding on to me, to us, was what kept her grounded in that horrible place made me realize that maybe a part of her was still on the outside with me while she was down there. Maybe that had been what made me keep fighting instead of just shutting down completely. I'd felt like shutting down. I'd felt like my life as I knew it was over. But I hadn't shut down. I'd kept looking for her, fighting for her. And I'd never known where the strength to do that had come from. Now I realized it had come from her.

"It's still real," I told her. "More now than ever. No matter what happens, I will never stop fighting for you. That's something you can always hold on to. For the rest of our lives."

"I love you," she said quietly, pulling herself up a little so she could kiss me.

"I love you too," I responded, kissing her head. "Try to go back to sleep. You're safe."

Aria didn't say anything else. She just rested her head on my chest and closed her eyes again. It took her a while, but she eventually did go back to sleep. I didn't, though. I tried, but I was too worried about her. I'd had a feeling the nightmares tonight would be bad with the new A showing his face again. But this was on a whole other level. I'd never had to work that hard to wake her up during a nightmare before. She'd always been a light sleeper. But tonight, she'd been borderline comatose. I wanted so desperately to help her, but this was beyond me. I didn't know how.

Thankfully, she slept through the rest of the night without incident. My alarm woke her up at seven. I turned it off, and she sat up and looked at me.

"You never did go back to sleep, did you?" she asked.

I chuckled tensely. "Nope."

"You know, that doesn't make me feel any better about waking you up."

"Just get me an IV of caffeine and I'll be good to go," I teased.

Aria sighed. "I hate to say this, but I think I need to see someone. A therapist. I was doing okay, or I thought I was, but ever since Mr. White got that envelope at school, it's worse. It's like everything that has happened here and everything I went through in high school is all just coming to the surface at once. And I can't deal with it all. I feel so weak. Broken."

"You are anything but weak," I told her. "You are the strongest person I know. Your strength has always amazed me. But you don't always have to be strong. It's okay to admit you can't do this by yourself."

"You don't think I'm crazy?"

"I didn't say that."

She playfully slapped me. "I mean it."

"No, I don't," I said. "You've been through more in your nineteen years on this planet than most people go through in their whole lives. And as much as I want to help you, as much as I try, I can't do everything. I don't have a degree or any training in _how_ to help you. And that kills me. It's torture seeing the woman I love more than anything else in this world struggle and not being able to do anything to make it better. If there's someone who _can_ make it better, I want them to."

She smiled. "I have mentioned lately that I love you, right?"

"Maybe once or twice," I teased. "I have mentioned lately that I love you too, right?"

I kissed her and then sighed. We had a long, boring day ahead of us. Something told me this time wasn't going to be nearly as interesting as last time. Because there was no possible way anyone else I knew would be there and sneak themselves onto the jury.

"Today's going to suck," Aria sighed as she got out of bed.

"Yeah, it is," I agreed. "But at least we don't have to be particularly attentive. You just have to stand up when he asks you to. Easy enough, right?"

"I guess. Honestly, what we really should do is leave the first chance we get after I do my bit. We do have a broken window to get fixed. That's easier to do during business hours."

"And you want to go home and take a nap," I finished.

"You don't?" she challenged as she grabbed her clothes out of our overnight bag. "You got even less sleep than I did."

"Oh, I do. But, as you pointed out, we have a window to get fixed. And a security system to install. I'm not letting something like that happen again if I can avoid it. I was dead serious about staying with the Whites until we can get one installed. I'm not crazy about staying there knowing that A knows where we live without having some extra protection."

"I know you were," Aria said. "And I'm fine with it. Like I said, it sounds cheaper than staying here."

"Okay," I told her. "I'll let him know."

Aria, Alexis, and I got to the courthouse with ten minutes to spare, surprisingly. As we walked into the all-too-familiar courtroom, Dan was there to greet us with a smile. It seemed like he'd been waiting for us. He made a beeline for Alexis.

"Alexis," he said. "I'm so sorry for your sister."

"Wait," she said, sounding as confused as I was. "How did you know about what happened with my sister?"

"Your father's not taking a plea," he sighed. "Guess who's trying his case."

"Oh, thank God," she sighed in relief.

"I wouldn't have made the connection, but Bailey said that you'd told her about me," he said, smiling. "She's a sweet girl. I was at the police station with her until late last night."

"I'm going to take her home when she gets off school," Alexis said. "I want to file for custody, but I don't know the first thing about how to go about that. Do you know any lawyers who specialize in that who might be able to help me?"

"I happen to know one very well. My best friend specializes in family law. I'll call him. I'm sure he'd be happy to help. And actually, Ezra, your name came up in connection with that case too."

"It did?" I asked, a little shocked that Bailey would have disclosed who she talked to. "Well, I'm not sure if my testimony would be considered hearsay, but I'm happy to testify if you need it."

"It's not hearsay," Dan told me. "You're what's referred to as an outcry witness. But you'd be risking your reputation and possibly your job going up on the stand. I'm not the only lawyer you know who's going to be there. And unfortunately, the other one knows something about you that he can exploit."

I sighed. Michael Crawford seemed to have a knack for finding these rapists. Hearing that made me think about the fleeting thought I'd had several weeks ago. That maybe he'd done something similar and knew how to avoid conviction. Maybe all these creeps knew each other.

"It's what's right," I told Dan. "If you need me to testify, I'll do it. Can he even use his knowledge about Aria to question me? Is that legal?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, he'll use your history with her to try to undermine your credibility as a witness. He'll make it relevant. I'll do my best to stop it, and I'm going to instruct Bailey not to say a word about Aria. But at the very least, I think you're going to be answering a very uncomfortable question or two about her. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"If I don't do it willingly, I get the feeling he's just going to subpoena me anyway," I pointed out. "I'd rather testify on my terms than his."

"I'm surprised you still have a job with all the time you're spending in courtrooms and attorneys' offices, Ezra," Alexis chuckled.

"It helps to have a very understanding boss," I said. "I just hope this is the last time it happens."

"We all hope that," Dan said. "While I love putting these creeps behind bars, it kills me seeing the victims' lives fall apart."

At that moment, Mr. Crawford and Mr. Thomas both walked in. Mr. Thomas kept his head down and looked straight ahead, not making eye contact with anyone. I guessed his time in prison had helped to straighten him out. Mr. Crawford, however, had seemed to only get bolder with time. He looked over at me and the girls and made eye contact with each one of us. And I could completely understand why what had happened at the coffee shop about a month ago had thrown Aria for such a loop. She was absolutely right. The phrase "if looks could kill" immediately leapt to mind. He looked like he would have just as soon assaulted Aria and Alexis all over again as looked at them, and he looked like he wanted to challenge me to a duel.

Almost instinctively, I pulled Aria close and then moved so I was between him and his view of Alexis. It frightened me that I felt the need to protect them from an attorney. He shouldn't have been the one they were afraid of. Except that he was. I'd have to say something to Dan. Or Raul. See what I could find out about him.

"Don't make eye contact with him," I told the girls. "Don't even look in his direction. He's trying to scare you out of testifying."

"Well, it's kind of working," Aria said. "I'm more afraid of him than Mr. Thomas right now."

"Ditto," Alexis said. "I don't know what it is, but there's something different about him this time."

"I know," I told them. "I'm right there with you. Look, you two are going to do your part and stand up when you're supposed to and then we're going to leave as soon as we have an opportunity."

I led them to the end of a row, as far away from Mr. Thomas and his attorney as we could possibly get. And this time, the jury selection went like clockwork. Raul stood up and introduced himself and Dan, then introduced Mr. Crawford and Mr. Thomas, then the witnesses in the case. Each time he introduced a group of people, he asked if anyone knew any of them. A couple of people were excused because they knew some of the other girls involved in the case. And then he asked if anyone had any reason why they felt they couldn't be impartial in this case. One of the other English teachers at Jenkins High was in the jury pool and she excused herself after explaining that she knew me, basically doing what Mr. White should have done when he was in the jury pool last time. He asked if anyone in the jury pool had ever been the victim of sexual assault or if they knew anyone who had. One person excused herself.

And after that, they took a fifteen-minute recess. Which provided a perfect opportunity for Aria, Alexis, and I to leave. Alexis told us she would meet us back at the house so she could grab some of her stuff and get the rest of Belle's supplies. I'd told her that she didn't need to rush getting everything out of the house, and if she needed to come back for any reason, she was welcome to.

I also called Mr. White and told him that I'd spoken with Aria and we were going to take him up on his offer to stay with them for a few days while we got the house secured. Shortly after, I got a call from Tracy saying that she'd left work early and that whenever we wanted to come, we were welcome. I hoped she hadn't done that on our account.

When Aria and I pulled up to the house, her car had been vandalized. A couple of windows were broken and there was a huge A carved into the driver's door. It went all the way down to the metal and had actually dented the door a little. This couldn't have just been a key. It looked more like whoever it was had used a metal spike or something. And there was also a message painted on the wood that was covering our broken kitchen window.

 _Hypocrite.  
-A_

Aria took some deep breaths as she stood there surveying the damage that had been done to her car.

"Looks like I have a phone call to make too," she said; she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "To my car insurance. Because what I really need right now is to pay a $250 deductible."

Of course that would be the first thing to pop into her head. She was, after all, a starving college student. She'd done pretty well with living on a shoestring budget, but unfortunately, that budget had no wiggle room for a psycho who was terrorizing us deciding to vandalize her car. But at least that was one thing I could do to help her. I couldn't make everything better, but I could at least take one item off of her list of things to worry about.

"Don't worry about that," I told her, kissing her head. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," she sighed, leaning against me. "I feel horrible that you have to. Being a starving college student sucks."

"We're getting married in four months," I reminded her. "As far as I'm concerned, what's mine is yours. Which includes my bank account. I'm just glad you didn't do the thing where you made the insurance cheaper by having a ridiculously high deductible."

"My dad got burned doing that when I was in middle school. He rear-ended someone and had to have his entire front end rebuilt. And he'd set his deductible to a thousand dollars trying to save money on insurance premiums. We ended up living on ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches that month."

"The real issue here is going to be storing the car until it can get fixed," I sighed. "It's not like we have a garage. If we did, the car would have been parked in there instead of in the driveway. Right now it's just sitting there open, asking someone to come and steal it."

"I'm surprised someone hasn't already," she agreed.

Alexis pulled into the driveway at that exact moment. As soon as she turned the car off, I saw her put Belle's leash on her before opening her car door. Belle was out of the car before she was.

"Holy crap," Alexis said.

Aria and I chuckled tensely.

"That's one way to put it," I said.

"I'm glad we weren't here last night," Aria said. "We clearly pissed whoever is working with your dad off. Big time."

"I'm starting to wonder if it isn't Mr. Crawford," Alexis told us. "Between a few weeks ago at the coffee shop and then today in the courtroom, he clearly has a beef with us. If he dug into your history and figured out using the persona of 'A' was the way to scare you, I wouldn't put it past him to do it."

I'd been thinking the same thing, but hadn't wanted to say anything in case I was wrong. After all, saying something, even if it turned out not to be true, could cost him his license. But more and more, it seemed like that was the direction this was pointing. The thing was, though, Aria and I knew all too well that as far as A suspects were concerned, appearances could be deceiving.

"The thought crossed my mind too," I agreed. "But I want more evidence than just a gut instinct if I'm going to go pointing fingers at him. If he's not the one harassing us and vandalizing our house and Aria's car, accusing him of something like this could cost him his license. Unfortunately, just being a sleazy lawyer who defends the scum of the earth isn't a crime in and of itself."

"It should be," Alexis chuckled. "Do you guys have somewhere to put this car until you can get it fixed? It can't stay here like this."

"We were just talking about that when you pulled up," Aria told her. "We don't."

"You do now. There's a garage at my dad's house. If your insurance company needs to come and look at it, they can do it there."

"Thanks," Aria said.

"Come on, let's get inside," I sighed. "Looks like Aria and I both have phone calls to make. And the first one should be to the police. Again."

Luckily, I was able to find a company who could fix the window the same day. There was one worry off our hands. But it looked like we'd be at the Whites' for at least a week. That was the soonest the home security company could get out here to install the security system. Not the end of the world, but slightly inconvenient. Especially if Aria and I were going to have to operate with just one car.

At around two in the afternoon, I realized that I hadn't seen Aria in at least an hour. The last time I'd seen her, she'd been on the phone with her car insurance for the second time today. Almost certain of where I'd find her, I headed upstairs and went into the bedroom. She was lying on the bed, just staring up at the ceiling.

"I didn't realize white paint was that fascinating," I teased as I sat down next to her.

She smiled a little, but didn't laugh. I had a feeling nothing would really be funny to her right now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"What is there to say? The two worst things to ever happen to me have both come back to haunt me in a pretty explosive way today," she said. "And instead of being able to crawl into a hole and hide or have a mental breakdown, which is what I really want to do right now, I have to be an adult and deal with the aftermath instead."

I chuckled a little. "Well, you're off the phone with your insurance company now. So you're done dealing with it for now, right?"

"Is that you giving me permission to have a mental breakdown?" Aria chuckled.

"I'd say you've earned it," I said, sitting her up and pulling her into my arms.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't really have mental breakdowns. At least not during the day. I save them for when I wake you up at three in the morning," she sighed.

I laughed. "Yeah, good point. So, what'd your insurance have to say?"

"I'm going to meet the adjuster at Alexis's house on Tuesday after my last class so she can look at the car. They don't work weekends and I'm testifying on Monday, so I can't do it then."

"That's actually sooner than I thought. See, there are some positives here," I tried.

"Yeah, the insurance company can come look at my vandalized car soon. Great. It'd be even nicer if A hadn't escalated to destruction of personal property. Because now _we_ have to pay for it."

"In case you haven't figured it out, I'm pretty sure this A isn't a teenage girl," I pointed out.

"And whoever it is, they're not playing teenage girl games either," Aria sighed.

"No, they're not," I agreed. "This is the big leagues now."

After we got the kitchen window replaced, Aria very carefully drove her car to Alexis's house and I followed her in my car. As soon as we got there and Aria got her car parked in the garage, Alexis handed her a set of car keys.

"What's this?" Aria asked.

"The keys to my dad's car," Alexis said. "At least the jackass can do something useful for once. Or his car can anyway. It's that BMW parked in the driveway. Pretty sweet ride. You're going to be traveling in style until your car gets fixed."

Aria chuckled. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I was actually really worried about that. I wasn't sure how Ezra and I were going to function with one car since I'm too young to rent a car."

"It's the least I can do after you guys opened your house to me and Belle for a month. Anyway, I'm sorry to cut and run like this, but I've got to go get Bailey from school."

"And I'm pretty sure the Whites are wondering where in the hell we are," I said. "I'll text you the address in case you lose me on the way there, babe."

"Okay," Aria sighed, pushing the button to unlock the BMW.

"I'm jealous," I teased. "How about you take my car and I'll drive the Beemer?"

"No way," she chuckled. "This is probably the only time I'll ever drive a luxury car. I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

"How he afforded that on a teacher's salary is beyond me," I chuckled.

"My mom actually came from a pretty wealthy family," Alexis explained as she got into her car. "She had quite a bit of money, and it all went to my dad when she died. She wanted him to use it to put me and Bailey through college, but he went out and bought that car instead. Nice of him, wasn't it?"

"Wow," I said. "Yeah, that was real nice of him."

"Well, Aria, I'll see you on Tuesday," she said. "And don't be strangers. Seriously. It'll be weird not having you guys around all the time."

"We won't be," I promised. "If there's anything we can do for you or Bailey, let us know."

"Wait," Aria said. "We'll see you Monday. The trial starts on Monday."

"Jesus," Alexis said. "I can't believe I forgot that when we were just there today for jury selection. Nothing like having your father get arrested for child abuse to make you completely lose track of everything else going on in your life."

"I'd say that's a pretty valid excuse," I told her. "We'll see you on Monday."

As Aria and I were lying in the guest bedroom at the Whites' house watching TV that night, I realized how I could get her mind off of everything that was going on in our lives right now. It was something we actually did need to talk about, but it would be a welcome conversation, I was sure.

"You know, I just realized with everything going on, we haven't even talked about booking a honeymoon," I told her.

Aria chuckled. "You're right. We haven't."

"So, any thoughts on where you want to go?" I asked.

"Somewhere far away from all of this," she sighed.

"That's a given," I chuckled, giving her a kiss. "But seriously. Any thoughts on where?"

"I haven't even thought about it. I don't know."

"Okay, let me try it like this. What's a place you have always wanted to visit and never thought you'd be able to?"

She was silent for a few seconds, like she was trying to think about how to answer the question.

"Don't think about it. Just spit it out. The first place that pops into your head," I told her.

"Italy," she said immediately.

That actually sounded perfect. Somewhere on the other side of the world, far away from all of our troubles and worries, and a romantic destination to boot. I'd planned on dipping into my trust to pay for the honeymoon anyway, so money wasn't an object. And since we'd have a good three weeks after our wedding before we had to be back in Savannah for the start of the school year, we could take our time and see everything. Well, all of the main spots anyway. A family friend even owned a vineyard in Tuscany, so there was one less hotel I'd have to book.

"Okay," I said. "Is your passport still current?"

"Wait. You're serious?" she asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes, I'm serious," I laughed. "What, did you think I was going to ask you that and then say no?"

"Um, it's not exactly a cheap honeymoon destination."

"And I still have that trust from my grandparents," I reminded her. "Making one of your dreams come true seems like a pretty good cause to use it. So, back to my question. Is your passport still current or do we need to get a move on renewing it?"

She laughed and kissed me.

"As glad as I am to see you smile for the first time in over twenty-four hours, that still doesn't answer the question," I chuckled when she let me talk.

"Yes, my passport is still current," she giggled.

"Good. Turn off the TV and let me up. I'm going to grab my computer and we're going to get started on this," I told her. "We both need the distraction."

Aria kissed me one more time, then sat up and grabbed the remote to turn the TV off. I grabbed my laptop and got back into bed, pulling her close and kissing her head before starting to search for itinerary ideas. I realized that somehow, in the insanity of recent weeks, I'd lost sight of the most important thing. The fact that, despite everything life had tried to throw at us, we were still here and we still loved each other. And as long as we still had each other, we could get through anything.


	19. Deja Vu

Chapter Nineteen  
 _Déjà Vu_

 **Aria**

My heart jumped into my throat as Ezra and I pulled into the courthouse parking lot on Monday morning. He'd managed to keep me distracted all weekend with honeymoon planning and it seemed like that was backfiring now. Because all of the nerves and fear that I'd been suppressing all weekend rushed to the surface now. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Ezra turned off the car and turned to face me.

"You look a little green," he said. "You okay?"

"What do you think?" I snapped, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

He chuckled a little. "It's okay. I deserved that. It was a stupid question. What can I do to help you?"

"I don't think there's anything you can do," I said. "I don't know how I'm going to do this again. I could barely get through it the first time. And now Mr. Crawford is ten times worse."

"You know Raul isn't going to let him get away with anything," he reminded me. "You'll be fine. And if you want, we'll leave as soon as you're done testifying."

"I'm not going to leave Jordan alone in there. That's not fair to her after she's been here for me this whole time," I told him.

"Okay, then after she's done testifying," Ezra said. "We don't have to stay here all day. Come on, let's go get this over with."

I sighed and got out of the car. He got out too and locked the car, then we walked up to the courthouse. I felt a little like I was walking to my execution. And waiting for us out front was an entire entourage of people. Becca, Kendra, Jordan, and Aiden were there, along with Alexis and Bailey and the Whites.

"And how long did you know I was going to have an entire posse waiting here for me?" I asked Ezra. I was sure he knew about this.

"Um, since about seven this morning," he chuckled. "I was going to tell you, but I figured you could use the surprise."

"And you're okay with your student skipping school to be here?" I teased, looking at Bailey. "What are you doing here, Bailey?"

"Lex told me about what happened on Friday," she said. "Figured you could use an extra friendly face in the crowd today. And frankly, I'm glad not to be at school."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Everyone has seen the news. They all know about my dad. And they're all asking me questions that I don't want to answer. I'm not answering them, but it seems like the less I say, the worse it is," she sighed. "I'm sure they'd love being teased about this if it was them."

I saw Ezra shake his head out of the corner of my eye. He knew how cruel teenagers could be.

"Teenagers can be mean and sometimes downright cruel," I told her. "I know. I've been there too. Not like what you're going through, but I've experienced just how far some kids will go to make other peoples' lives a living hell."

"I know you're not in my class until the end of the day, but rest assured if I hear anyone saying anything about your dad to you, I'm not going to let it slide," Ezra told her. "Even if it's just in the hallway. No one has the right to be asking you so much as a single question about him."

"And you can always come to me at school too, Bailey," Mr. White told her. "Bullying in any form is not tolerated at Jenkins. It's not something I take lightly."

"See, Bee, I told you. You have people there on your side," Alexis said, hugging her sister. "But they can't read your mind. If you need help, you have to ask for it."

"I hate to break this up, but we have to get inside," Jordan said. "We have five minutes before court is in session."

I sighed. "Let's go get this over with."

"You've got this, sweetie," Becca said, giving me a hug. "You're going to be great, just like last time."

"I sure hope so," I said as we headed inside.

"Don't think like that," Kendra said, squeezing my shoulder. "You _are_ going to be great. You're going to win that jury over within five minutes and they're going to be hanging on your every word. By the time the defense attorney gets his shot at you, they're not going to care what you have to say about Ezra. If anything. The DA said he was going to try to keep your personal life out of it this time, right?"

"He did," I agreed.

"Then you've got nothing to worry about," Mr. White said. "And rest assured, if any questions do slip through the DA's objections, Ezra's job is safe no matter what you say."

Ezra and I both chuckled.

"Thanks for that," Ezra said as he opened the door to the courtroom for us.

"Anytime," he said, smiling. "We've already had this conversation. I have no room to talk."

I chuckled again. The Whites had made a point of getting to know me better this weekend, and the more I got to know both of them, the more I liked them. I could easily see why Mr. White and Ezra had clicked the way they had. Honestly, they were kind of the model of what I hoped Ezra and I would be like fifteen or twenty years from now. Great people who did what was right, no matter the cost. And people who were still clearly head over heels in love with each other after all this time.

I walked in to find Raul and Dan already up at the prosecution's table, and on the other side of the courtroom, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Crawford were also already in their spots at the defense's table. Mr. Crawford had a smug look about him, like he'd already won. I hoped Raul was about to wipe that look off his face.

My posse and I took up an entire bench just by ourselves. I was so glad I had all of these people here to support me today. Though I was a little worried about what hearing the recording would do to Bailey.

"Hey, Alexis, you sure Bailey will want to hear this?" I asked, leaning forward so I could talk to her across all four of my college friends.

Alexis smiled. "I already told her about the recording and the video. She said she can handle it. And that she'll tell me if it's too much and she needs to leave for a few minutes."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure," I said.

"I'll be fine, Aria," Bailey chimed in. "I can handle it."

I smiled. "Okay then. But promise me you'll tell Alexis if you need to leave. There's a difference between being strong and being stubborn."

"Okay, I promise," she said.

"Someone else I know could stand to remember that sometimes," Ezra teased as I leaned back against the bench, kissing my head.

I chuckled. "Maybe. Not today, though. Today is all about strength. Which I feel like I could use some more of."

"You'll be fine," he assured me, pulling me against him. "All you have to do is tell the truth."

"All rise, the Court of the United States, Southern District of Georgia, Savannah Circuit, Criminal Division, is now in session, the honorable Judge Harrison Scott presiding," the bailiff said.

"Déjà vu," Jordan whispered to me.

I chuckled again as we stood up, and I heard Ezra doing the same. He'd heard her too. As soon as we sat back down, things progressed pretty much as they had last time. Raul was incredible. Dan had been good, but Raul had at least ten years of experience on him. He was no-nonsense, but warm at the same time. He told a heart-wrenching tale of all the girls Mr. Thomas had hurt and how they would always have to live with it. Mr. Crawford was a piece of work, just like always.

When I went up to the stand, just like before, I answered some questions about what I'd been through the entire first semester with Mr. Thomas, leading up to the recording. Just like Dan had done, Raul offered the people who had come to support me today a chance to leave the courtroom before he played the recording of my assault, but everyone stayed put. I took a deep breath and steeled myself as I relived the horror of that day in the darkroom.

After the recording was played, Raul jumped right into questions about what we had heard, completely skipping over the part about Ezra. It was like he'd said. Bringing Ezra up was a nice distraction for the defense, because it took the jury's mind off of what Mr. Thomas had done to me. That was why Mr. Crawford loved to dwell on it so much.

The judge didn't give us a recess before cross-examination this time, so Mr. Crawford walked up right as Raul was sitting back down.

"Well, that's a very heart-wrenching tale you tell, Miss Montgomery, and quite a shocking piece of evidence," he said, staring at me like he would have loved to make me go through it all again. "I'm sorry for what you've been through. If I may, I would like to ask you about something else we heard on that recording. Something Mr. Herrera didn't touch on. I'd like to ask you about your fiancé. Mr. Fitz, right?"

"Objection," Raul said immediately. "This is about Miss Montgomery's experiences with Mr. Thomas, not her life choices. Her history with her fiancé has no bearing on this case whatsoever."

"It goes to my client's state of mind, Your Honor," Mr. Crawford tried. "His knowledge of this history contributed to his actions."

"Your Honor, I think Mr. Crawford knows as well as I do that it doesn't matter if Miss Montgomery is engaged to her former high school teacher or the man in the moon," Raul countered. "It has nothing to do with what happened to her in that darkroom. This is a diversionary tactic and nothing more."

"Sustained," the judge said before Mr. Crawford could try to say anything else about it. "Stick to the case, counselor."

"Apologies," Mr. Crawford said, glaring at Raul.

I took a breath and looked over at my posse for strength before this cross started. Ezra was chuckling to himself. He was loving this. Not the fact that I was up here, but what had just happened with Mr. Crawford. I just hoped it would be as easy as that when he was up on the witness stand for Mr. Fisher's trial. Pretty much everyone else at least had a smile on their faces, and about half of them were chuckling to themselves just like Ezra was. This was definitely a huge win for us.

Without having my history with Ezra to fall back on as a distraction tactic, Mr. Crawford floundered big time with his cross-examination. He kind of seemed like he didn't really know what to do now that he couldn't paint me as an irresponsible young girl who got engaged to her English teacher as soon as she finished high school and had no idea how to handle herself around men because of her warped world view. Now he had to stick to the facts of the case, and those facts did not reflect well on his client.

As I stepped off the witness stand after the cross-examination, I wanted to give Raul a high five. This had gone so much better than last time, and I knew it was because of the stance he'd taken about Ezra. And speaking of Ezra, he was of course waiting for me with open arms.

"You were amazing," he whispered, kissing my temple. "I'm so proud of you. I love you."

I smiled as we sat down.

"I love you too," I whispered back. "I wish I could give Raul a high five. He completely flustered Crawford."

Ezra nodded; he agreed with me.

"Prosecution, you may call your second witness," the judge said.

"I call Jordan Blake to the stand," Raul said.

I squeezed Jordan's hand for encouragement as she stood up.

"Break a leg," I whispered to her.

"Knock 'em dead, baby," I heard Aiden whisper.

This was the first time Aiden had heard any of this. He and Jordan hadn't been dating for that long when this had gone to court the first time, so he hadn't felt comfortable coming to court with her then. Now, he was here and was being every bit as supportive of her as Ezra was being of me. He really was a good guy. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him and thought he was great with Jordan.

Jordan walked up to the stand looking about as nervous as I'd been. The bailiff walked up to her with the Bible.

"Please place your right hand on the Bible," he said.

She did.

"State your full name for the record."

"Jordan Elizabeth Blake," she said.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Thank you," the bailiff said. "You may be seated."

Jordan sat down and Raul got up and walked up to the stand.

"Thank you for being here today, Jordan," he said warmly. "I appreciate you being willing to testify a second time."

"Whatever it takes to help my friend," she said, glancing at me.

"So, you and Miss Montgomery are close, I take it?" he asked.

"Yes, very. She's one of my best friends."

"How did the two of you meet?"

"Aria lived on my hall in the dorms at Savannah College of Art and Design, and we met on move-in day," Jordan answered. "A couple of days later, we discovered that we were in Mr. Thomas's photography class together."

"Would you say that the two of you worked closely together in that class?" Raul asked her.

"Absolutely. Every time there was an opportunity to work with another person, Aria and I would work together. And we sometimes even gave each other help and pointers on solo assignments."

"And it was during one of those times when you were helping each other that you first noticed Mr. Thomas acting…differently towards your friend?" he clarified.

"Yes," Jordan agreed. "Actually, we were working on our very first assignment for that class. Self-portraits. We were using Aria's camera to come up with ideas when he walked past us and stopped to talk to us."

"And when he stopped to talk to you, what did he say to Miss Montgomery?"

"Objection, Your Honor," Mr. Crawford tried. "Hearsay."

"I'm specifically asking Miss Blake what she heard Mr. Thomas saying to Miss Montgomery with her own ears. It's not hearsay," Raul countered.

"Overruled," the judge said. "Miss Blake, you may answer the question."

"Well, he asked both of us if we were working on the assignment he'd given us. Aria told him that we were just using her camera to try to come up with some ideas. He asked if she minded if he took a look. She handed him her camera, and as he was looking at it, he said, 'See, what you're really looking for in a self-portrait, what's going to make it memorable, is you want to expose yourself. Really let people see you,'" Jordan answered.

"It's been several months since this encounter, correct, Miss Blake?" Raul asked.

"Yes, it has."

"Forgive me for asking, but how do you remember what he said word for word?"

"I guess it was kind of burned into my memory," she responded.

"Why is that?" he clarified.

"It wasn't so much what Mr. Thomas said as the way he said it that made it memorable. The emphasis he put on certain words."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he made it sound like he wasn't talking about exposing oneself through art at all."

Everyone chuckled, including every single person on the jury. This was going great.

"And was that the only time you witnessed Mr. Thomas doing this? Making seemingly ordinary phrases that a teacher might say to a student sound like they were about…well, something else entirely?" Raul asked her.

"No, it was not," Jordan said. "Several times when we were in the darkroom, I heard him asking Aria if she needed any help. Every time he asked that, she would always tell him that she didn't need help. That she knew what she was doing when it came to developing photos. And every time, he would say something to the effect of, 'I'm always here to take care of your needs.' I probably don't need to tell you what he made it sound like he meant."

More chuckling from the gallery and the jury. In fact, it seemed like the only people not laughing were the judge, Mr. Thomas, and his attorney. Jordan was killing it. I could tell the jury loved her. She was genuine, warm, and funny. Everything I loved so much about her was coming through in her testimony, and the jury was eating it up with a spoon.

"Now, let's fast-forward to the day of Miss Montgomery's attack," Raul said, changing gears. "Can you tell me what happened when she tried to leave the darkroom after cleaning up her station like the other students had done?"

That was smart. He'd established that someone else had noticed his behavior towards me through the semester, so again, he wasn't going to dwell on it. He was trying to keep this about the actual charges against Mr. Thomas.

"Well, when Aria tried to leave, Mr. Thomas asked her to stay. I'd finished at about the same time as her, so I could have left, but I stayed with her. His behavior towards her had gotten increasingly bolder as the semester progressed, so much so that she was uncomfortable being in the same room with him unless someone else she knew was with her. When it was down to just the three of us left in the room, Mr. Thomas asked Aria if he could speak with her alone and asked me to leave the room. Aria told him that she didn't mind me hearing anything that he had to say to her, but he said it would be a breach of confidentiality or something like that and insisted that I leave the room," Jordan said.

"Did you walk away from the darkroom at that point?"

"No, I did not. I didn't want to leave Aria alone in there, so I stayed right outside the darkroom door."

"And can you describe for the jury what you heard from the other side of the door?"

"I heard muffled voices, and pieces of the conversation that you heard on the recording, and I definitely heard the struggle and Aria screaming."

"What did you do at that point?" Raul asked.

"I tried to get into the darkroom, but he'd locked the door. So I tried to call one of his assistants whose number I had, but they wouldn't come help. Since I couldn't get anyone to help immediately, I called 911."

"Did you wait for the police?"

"No, I didn't," she answered. "Neither of us did. Right after I got off the phone with 911, Aria came stumbling out of the darkroom."

"How did she look when she came out of the darkroom?"

"I could tell she was having trouble walking. Her right arm was bright red and she had blisters from her elbow all the way down to her ring and pinky fingers. And her blouse was in shreds. Basically she was wearing a bra with a few pieces of fabric hanging on her."

"Did you tell her that you'd called the police?" he asked.

"Yes, I did. But she said that she was in a lot of pain and scared that Mr. Thomas would come out and find her there, so she didn't want to stay there and wait for them. So I gave her my coat to cover up with since she basically had no shirt and walked her back to her dorm room."

"What happened when you got back to her dorm room?"

"Well, Aria's roommate Becca and Becca's girlfriend Kendra were there in the room and when they saw how Aria was walking and looked at Aria's arm, which by that point had turned even darker red, they said that they were taking her to the hospital. I went with them and we stayed with her while she talked to the police and waited with her until her fiancé got there," Jordan explained.

"It sounds like you were a very good friend to her when she needed it most," Raul said. "Thank you, Miss Blake. Nothing further."

Mr. Crawford got up and walked to the stand.

"Well, Miss Blake, from the way you tell it, it sounds like you were practically glued to Miss Montgomery's side for most of last semester," he said.

"Yes, we got very close and we did spend a lot of time together," she agreed.

"Are you still close with her?"

"Yes, I am. We're best friends."

"Now, did Miss Montgomery ask you to testify today?" Mr. Crawford asked.

"No, she did not. I was asked to testify for this trial by the second chair attorney for Mr. Herrera, Dan Blackstone. He was the one who informed me the case was going to trial and he told me that my testimony would be valuable."

"At any point, did you and Miss Montgomery discuss this trial while you were spending time together? Maybe talk about what you would say?"

"No, actually. We didn't."

"She didn't remind you of anything that had happened over the semester? Make sure you didn't forget anything important?"

"She didn't have to remind me," Jordan said. "I remember it very clearly."

"You just remember details of something that happened not to you, but to your friend, at the beginning of last semester that clearly without having your memory refreshed?" Mr. Crawford pressed.

"Objection, Your Honor," Raul said. "Badgering the witness."

"Sustained," the judge said. "Back off, Mr. Crawford."

"Withdrawn," he said. "Now, Miss Blake, you were not in the darkroom with Miss Montgomery during this encounter. So how do you know that the struggle you heard and Miss Montgomery's screaming was not an act of consent?"

"I live in a college dormitory, Mr. Crawford," Jordan said, completely straight-faced. "I think I can tell the difference between the sound of a violent struggle and a scream of pain versus a consensual sexual encounter. I hear the latter at least a few times a week coming from various rooms on my hall."

That got a full-on laugh from most of the courtroom, including the judge.

"I'm sure you do," Mr. Crawford said. "But have you heard the latter actually coming from your friend to be able to have a comparison?"

Jordan chuckled uncomfortably, but we all knew there would be no objection to this question. It was actually a valid question, as intrusive and inappropriate as it was.

"No, sir, I haven't," Jordan said. "She and her fiancé are pretty private people. And he _doesn't_ live in a college dormitory."

More chuckling from the jury and gallery. Especially our row. She was right. We were very private about that. Neither of us held back with the other person, but it stayed between us. I could count on one hand and still have fingers left over how many times we'd actually made love while Alexis was living at the house. It had felt too awkward with someone else there.

"Thank you, Miss Blake," Mr. Crawford said. "Nothing further."

Jordan stepped down from the witness stand and walked back to the gallery. I gave her a sideways hug when she sat back down next to me.

"You were awesome," I whispered. "Crawford obviously didn't want to have you up there any longer than he had to."

"He's even more of a piece of work this time," she whispered back. "I can't believe he actually asked me that last question."

"We'll take a fifteen-minute recess," the judge said, and banged the gavel to free us from the courtroom.

"Oh, I can," I said, turning to look at Jordan.

"You held your own up there, though," Ezra said. "You were great. I'd say getting the judge to laugh is a pretty major accomplishment."

"Sarcasm is a universal language, apparently," she chuckled.

Ezra and I both chuckled with her, and he kissed my head.

"I'll be back in a minute, Aria," he said. "Do you want to stay or do you want me to meet you out front?"

"Let's get out of here," I sighed. "I've done my part, and so has Jordan."

"Okay. I'll meet you out front," he told me, giving me a quick kiss before walking out the door.

"We'll walk with you," Jordan said. "I think the four of us are going to get out of here too."

"I think Bailey and I are going to stay. So I'll give you a play-by-play tomorrow when you come for the adjuster to look at your car," Alexis told me. "You did great up there."

"Thanks," I said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Come on, Aria," Becca said, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get you out of here."

My friends walked out of the courthouse with me and waited until Ezra came outside to say their goodbyes. Ezra caught me up in another hug as soon as they left.

"Tell me the truth," he said quietly, not letting go of me. "Are you okay?"

"Relatively," I sighed. "It wasn't easy, but I survived."

"Do you have any important assignments due tomorrow?" he asked as he pulled back to look at me.

"No," I told him. "Why?"

"Well, I did a thing," he said.

"What kind of thing?" I asked.

"I booked us a room for tonight in St. Augustine after you fell asleep last night. I kind of thought you might want to get away from all this for a day. If we leave now, we'll be there by lunch. There's already an overnight bag in the car. Might as well get some good use out of the luxury car since we have it."

I smiled. God, I loved him. He knew me better than anyone. Getting out of town for a day was exactly what I needed after this morning. Well, really, this past week.

"I love you," I chuckled, pulling him in and kissing him.

"I love you," he replied as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "So, can you miss school tomorrow? I'll make sure we're back in time to meet the insurance adjuster at Alexis's house."

"Yeah, I can afford to miss my classes," I told him. "I kind of need the mental health day."

"I had a feeling," Ezra chuckled. "Come on, let's get out of here."

At around six-thirty, we found ourselves back on the wall outside the Castillo de San Marcos watching the sunset, just like we had a few months ago right after my assault. The sunset tonight was amazing and it was actually warm outside, so we weren't freezing. I could have sat here all night with Ezra. Not saying anything, just taking comfort in each other's company and the magic we'd found together in this quaint historic town. One question kept popping into my mind though, and I felt like I had to ask it.

"This is perfect," I sighed. "Exactly what I needed after this past week."

Ezra kissed my head and pulled me close.

"I know. Me too," he said.

"What made you decide to do this?" I asked him.

He took a deep breath and paused for a second, like he was trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say.

"Look," he said, turning to look at me. "These past few months have been hellish for both of us. We've had brief glimpses of happiness, but for the most part, all we've been dealt lately has been trouble and sadness and pain. Not exactly what I pictured when I decided to move down here to be with you, and I doubt it's what you pictured for your freshman year of college either."

"You've got that right," I chuckled.

"But the thing is, Aria, I came down to Savannah for one reason. To have a life with you. I'd assume you didn't slap me the face when I told you about it because you wanted a life with me too. I guess my point is, I know we have responsibilities and we have to deal with these curveballs life is throwing us. We don't have a choice. But in the middle of all that, we can't forget to actually live the life we wanted to have together," he said.

I smiled and turned to kiss Ezra. He was right. I'd been so focused lately on just dealing with everything happening in our lives right now that I'd forgotten to stop and appreciate the good things. And there were plenty of them. I had the world's most amazing fiancé, our wedding plans were coming along beautifully, and we'd started booking the world's most elaborate and over-the-top honeymoon. Plus, we had some pretty amazing and loyal friends here who weren't letting us go through any of the bad things alone. There were plenty of positives in our life. And we needed to celebrate that, and celebrate our love for each other.


	20. Bullies

Chapter Twenty  
 _Bullies_

 **Ezra**

Aria and I pulled up to Alexis's house right on time for her appointment with the insurance adjuster. She barely had time to back her car out of the garage before the adjuster pulled up. It was a young woman, probably about my age, who looked a little shocked at the state the car was in.

"Hi," the woman said, getting out of her car and holding out her hand. "Aria?"

"Yeah, hi," Aria said, shaking the woman's outstretched hand. "This is my fiancé, Ezra. Hope you don't mind me bringing him along."

"Not at all. Nice to meet you both. I'm Liz," she said, shaking my hand as well. "I take it this is the car?"

"What gave that away?" Aria chuckled.

"Wow," Liz said as she surveyed the damage. "Any idea who would have done this?"

"We have our suspicions, but we can't prove anything," I sighed. "Needless to say, I'm setting up video surveillance and a security system at our house in case whoever it is decides to try anything else. Guess I didn't think we needed it in our neighborhood."

"Yeah, we usually don't get a whole lot of vandalism claims here in Savannah, that's for sure," she agreed. "But the good news is, we can get this car fixed up like new in about a week."

"I was kind of hoping you might be able to recommend somewhere _to_ fix it," Aria said. "We've been in Savannah less than a year. And thankfully, we haven't had occasion to use a body shop in that time."

"We have preferred shops in the area. I can get you hooked up with one of them. That's no problem at all," Liz told her.

She made quick work of writing up an estimate and had Aria's car towed to a body shop so she didn't have to worry about driving it with the broken windows. It was a bit of a road hazard, because if she drove at more than about fifteen or twenty miles an hour, broken glass started flying off the car.

We didn't leave right away after the car situation got squared away. Alexis invited us inside, where we were immediately greeted by a familiar chocolate lab puppy. Aria seemed happier to see Belle than she was to see Alexis. And Belle certainly seemed happy to see us too.

Yeah…Aria and I were definitely getting a dog after we got back from our honeymoon. Within about thirty seconds, it seemed like everything that was bothering Aria evaporated away. Seeing her smile, really smile, was rare lately, but she always did whenever she was around Belle. If having a dog in the house was that therapeutic for her, we needed to get one. School was only going to get more stressful. And unless everything magically got worked out within the next couple of months, we'd still have other problems to deal with when we got back too.

"So how'd it go after we left yesterday?" Aria asked.

"Like clockwork," Alexis told her. "They actually got through the testimony faster this time because Raul didn't let Crawford get away with trying to distract the jury with things that weren't related to the case. I actually ended up testifying right before we adjourned for the day."

"Now I feel bad for leaving," Aria sighed. "You were there for me both times and I haven't been there either time you testified."

"Don't feel bad," she said. "You guys needed a breather after everything you've gone through these last few days. I wish I could have left town for the night too."

"How's Bailey holding up?" I asked.

"Well, she went back to school today and she said she wanted to take the bus home like normal. I've been a nervous wreck all day," Alexis chuckled tensely. "She should be home soon."

"I hate to bring this up, but do we know when your dad's trial starts yet?" Aria asked her.

"No, not yet," she sighed. "Crawford can only be in one courtroom at a time. So we have to wait until this trial's over before we can set a date for my dad's."

Bailey walked in the door right then, looking like she'd been through hell. She'd obviously had a rough day today. Now I felt bad for leaving too. With a sub in my classroom, the kids would have been rowdier than normal anyway, and I was sure they would have used the lack of order to tease her about her father. If I'd been there, I could have kept it from happening, at least for fifty minutes of the day.

"Hey, Bee," Alexis said, pretending not to notice. "How was school?"

"Horrible," she said, her voice breaking, as she sat down on the couch. "None of my teachers even bothered to try to make the kids stop teasing me. Must be nice for them to have fathers who actually love and care about them."

I sighed. I really shouldn't have left. Especially not after promising her I'd help her through this nightmare. Aria clearly read my mind, because she stopped playing with Belle and got up off her knees to come give me a hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," I said. "I wouldn't have let that happen if I could help it."

Bailey chuckled through her tears.

"Don't be sorry, Mr. Fitz," she sniffled. "Aria needed you. I get that."

"So did you," I sighed. "Rest assured, I'm not planning on missing any more days anytime soon. And you know I'm not going to let anyone get away with bullying you. I'll hand out detention to anyone who says one word to you about your father."

"Somehow I think it's only going to get worse," Bailey sighed. "Mr. White announced a school assembly about what's been happening this year today. Since my dad's the second teacher to get arrested for child molestation this year. It's happening on Friday. And apparently you're speaking."

I chuckled. "Am I? That's news to me."

"Wow, we leave for a day and look what happens," Aria teased. "Guess you'd better come up with something good to say."

"Oh, I have a thing or two I'd like to say to these kids for sure," I said tensely.

"I'm sure you do," Aria chuckled. "Anyway, it seems like you and Mr. White have some talking to do. We should probably get going."

"Yeah, you're right. We should," I agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bailey."

"See you," she said.

"Don't be strangers, guys," Alexis said. "You're welcome here anytime."

"We won't be," Aria promised. "Actually, I have my second wedding dress fitting on Thursday at four. And I really should go shopping for shoes for the wedding too. I can't believe it's already April. Do you girls maybe want to come with me and do dinner after? Becca and Kendra have rehearsal and Jordan is still in class then. It'd be nice to have some company."

I smiled. I had a feeling Aria would have been all too willing to just go to that fitting by herself and get it over with and go shoe shopping with her friends later. She'd told me she thought it was a little ridiculous how involved this was getting for a dress she was going to wear one time and then put in a garment bag in the back of the closet. And for _her_ to be saying that…well, I was glad I had no part in this aspect of the wedding planning. Regardless, I knew she was just trying to get the girls' minds off of what was going on with Mr. Thomas's trial and their dad's arrest. And the fact that she was so empathetic and tried so hard to lessen other peoples' burdens even when she was struggling with her own was one of the many reasons why I loved her so much.

"I'm absolutely in," Alexis chuckled. "Bee?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun," Bailey said. "Thanks."

"Cool. I'll pick you up here at three-thirty? Or, wait, should I meet you guys at the school?"

"How about if you pick me up here at three-fifteen and then we'll go together to pick Bee up," Alexis suggested. "They won't let you pick her up unless I'm with you."

"Sounds like a plan," Aria said. "I promise I'll have you back home at a decent hour since it's a school night for me and Bailey."

Bailey giggled. "And I promise to still get my homework done, Mr. Fitz."

I chuckled. "I'm going to hold you to that. And I'll make sure to pile it on Thursday night."

"Cut her some slack, babe," Aria laughed.

"Fine," I said in mock exasperation, kissing Aria's head.

When Aria and I walked into the Whites' house a little while later, Mr. White looked like he was waiting expectantly for me. That came as no surprise after what Bailey had told me.

"Ezra," he said. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

I chuckled. "Does it have something to do with this assembly I'm apparently speaking at on Friday?"

"How'd you hear? You were gone today," he asked.

"I was just at Adam Fisher's house and Bailey told me," I explained. "Aria was keeping her car there until the insurance adjuster could look at it. And we met the adjuster there today."

"Ah, okay," he said. "Have a good time in St. Augustine?"

"Yeah, it was much needed," Aria said. "Um, I'll let you guys talk. I have a paper to get started on."

"Okay," I said, giving her a kiss before she walked out of the room.

I went to sit down on the couch next to Mr. White and put my head in my hands.

"What is it, Ezra?" he asked.

"I've got a thing or two I'd like to say to these kids on Friday," I sighed. "Bailey's having a rough time at school. Kids are being so cruel to her. And I've actually handed out a few detentions to kids I've caught bullying the girl Todd Yancey was with the night he was arrested too. It's like no one at that school has any empathy. Then again, it shouldn't surprise me. Kids were pretty cruel to Aria and her friends after the people who were trying to hurt her were caught. Even some of the other teachers at Rosewood High were awful to them. It's just sickening to me. I literally took a bullet trying to protect Aria and her friends, and the other teachers at that school told them their presence was a danger to other students. Banned them from the senior prom and almost didn't let them attend their own graduation."

"I hate to even ask this, but if it hadn't been for your relationship with Aria, would you have still taken that bullet?"

I sighed again. "I've asked myself that many times. And yes, the first thought in my head was to protect Aria because I love her, but I was trying to keep her friends safe too. Had it not been for our relationship, it's likely I wouldn't have even been on that rooftop in the first place, but I like to think that if I had been there and saw someone trying to kill a group of my students, no matter who they were, I still would have done anything in my power to protect them. Honestly though? I don't know."

"That's a fair answer. And an honest one," Mr. White said. "Look, the experiences you had in Rosewood with Aria and her friends give you a unique perspective on bullying. That was actually why I wanted you to speak at the assembly. I've got one of the guidance counselors talking about the fact that if the students are being hurt, they can always come to us. But the fact is, kids are cruel. And when one of them comes forward about something like this, a lot of times what's happening to Bailey and to Morgan Wright does happen to them. I think hearing exactly how harmful bullying can be from someone who's seen firsthand what it can do would help to drive that point home."

"How much do you want me to tell them?" I asked. "Obviously, they're not going to find out that Aria is my fiancée because they can do the math, but besides that, how much detail do I go into? Do I tell them I took that bullet? Do I tell them the details of what those three girls did to Aria and her friends?"

"I don't think I'm the one you should be asking about that. It depends on how much Aria is comfortable with you sharing."

"Okay. I'll talk to her tonight."

"On a much lighter subject, I did want to ask you something else," Mr. White said. "Tracy and I really would love to be there for your wedding. I was going to start looking for plane tickets. But I wanted to make sure you really are okay with it."

I chuckled. "You're one of the only real friends I've made since I've been here. I'm absolutely okay with it. I actually was going to ask you how serious you were about coming. Because I'm short a groomsman, and I'd love it if you'd fill the slot."

"I would be honored," he told me. "As long as Aria doesn't dress me up in some hideous pink tuxedo."

I laughed. "No, that's not her style. She'll just give you a really ugly tie. Maybe an equally ugly vest if you really piss her off."

"I think I can handle that," he laughed with me. "Anyway, Tracy's probably about done with dinner if you and Aria want to join us."

"I'll go get her," I said.

I walked back to the guest bedroom, where Aria was sitting on the bed with her noise cancelling headphones on and her computer on her lap, looking like she was working intently on something. I went to sit next to her, and she took her headphones off.

"Hey," I said quietly. "What are you working on?"

"A research paper for English," she sighed. "It's due Friday but I'm just now starting it."

"Well, you've had a lot on your plate," I reminded her. "I'm impressed that you've been able to keep your grades up with everything else going on in your life right now."

"I made a promise that I would. To you and my parents."

"That was before you got dragged through a second trial and had another A surface."

"Is it weird that my schoolwork distracts me from all of that?" she asked.

I chuckled and kissed her head. "No. It's something you can focus on. And I'd say it's a pretty healthy distraction from your troubles. Can you take a quick break though? I need to ask you something."

She shut her laptop. "What is it?"

I took a breath. "Look, the reason Mark wanted me to speak at the assembly is because of what happened to you and your friends in Rosewood. Because he knows I have a…unique perspective on how harmful bullying can be. And he knows how rough the kids who have come forward about being abused have been getting it at that school. He wanted me to give them a dose of reality, I guess."

"So he wants you to tell my story?"

"Only as much of it as you're comfortable with."

"Tell them as much as you want," Aria said. "I'd come and talk to them myself if I could. If my story can help people and ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else, I want people to hear it."

"You sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure," she assured me. "I'm fine with it."

"Okay," I sighed. "Apparently Tracy's about done with dinner if you can pull yourself away from your paper for a little bit longer."

Aria chuckled and set her laptop on the floor. "Anything to help me procrastinate more. Research papers are the devil."

I laughed. "Just wait until you have to do a thesis."

The next day at school, I decided I was going to do my best to be in the hallways during the periods between classes. I knew Bailey's locker was right down the hall from my class, so I knew she'd see me there watching fairly often. Maybe it was futile, but I just wanted her to know that she had someone here who was in her corner.

As it turned out, it was a good thing I was there, because before the first bell even rang, a group of girls cornered her at her locker, standing all around her so she had no escape.

"How's daddy?" one of them, a student in my fifth period class, asked. "I'm sure he's having a rough time in the big house because you lied about him and got him arrested."

"Yeah, what was he really doing? Keeping you from some guy?" another student who I didn't know asked.

"Hope you're enjoying having the house to yourself," a third student, who happened to be in my first period class, said. "Bet your boyfriend's there every night now."

Bailey was clearly upset, and I started to walk towards the commotion.

"No, her boyfriend's in jail now," another of my first-period students said. "Didn't you hear why her dad _got_ arrested? She didn't have _time_ for another boyfriend. She was too busy getting it on with her dad."

I'd heard enough. These kids were getting a trip to the principal's office. I walked up to them.

"You four, my classroom, now," I said.

The four students looked at me, but didn't move.

"Let her go," I said. "Now. You've already earned yourselves a trip to the principal's office. I'm happy to add some after-school detentions to that."

They still didn't budge.

"Okay, we'll see you after school," I said sternly, trying to let them know I wasn't kidding. "If you're not in my classroom within ten seconds, you'll add two more days to that."

"Damn, Mr. Fitz," the fifth period student said. "I thought you were one of the cool teachers."

"Get into my classroom before you see a very different side of me," I warned. "Let Miss Fisher go."

They finally backed off and let Bailey away from her locker. I escorted the group into my classroom and shut the door before turning back to her.

"You okay, Bailey?" I asked.

She sniffled and wiped a few tears away.

"I guess," she said.

"Do you want me to call Alexis to come get you?" I asked. "I'll write you an excuse."

She nodded.

"Okay," I said. "Come wait in my office until I deal with those girls."

"Okay, thanks," she sniffled.

"Come on," I said quietly, opening the door to my classroom and unlocking my office without even so much as looking at her tormentors yet.

As soon as Bailey was in my office, I shut the door behind her so she couldn't hear what I was about to say to the other kids. And I walked back up to my desk and pulled out my disciplinary pad.

"Do you have any idea what that girl is going through right now?" I asked them.

They were silent.

"Not one of you has anything to say now?" I pressed. "You certainly had plenty to say to Miss Fisher a few minutes ago. What, cat got your tongues?"

"We were just messing with her," one of the first-period students said after another thirty seconds. "We didn't mean anything."

"Bailey is going through hell. She's confused and scared. Her entire world has been turned upside-down. The one person she should have been able to trust, the one person she shouldn't have had any reason to be afraid of, was the person who was hurting her," I told them. "And you think it's okay to tease her about it?"

"We were just having some fun," the student I didn't know mumbled.

"What part of bullying is fun?" I asked. "What part of making someone cry is your idea of a good time?"

"Why do you care?" the fifth-period student said.

"I care because I know what bullying can do to a person," I said. "I care because I saw five students in the school I taught at in Pennsylvania almost get killed several times because of what started out as seemingly harmless teasing."

"Really?" the other first-period student asked.

"Yes, really," I spat. "Now, the four of you have earned yourselves a trip to Mr. White's office and detention after school today. If I see this behavior from any of you again, I will personally be calling your parents and having them come in for conferences."

I wrote out their office referrals and detention slips, then called for someone to escort them to the principal's office. As soon as they were out of the room, I went back to my office and shut the door. The first bell had just rung.

"You okay?" I asked Bailey.

"I don't know," she sniffled. "I'm definitely learning who my real friends are. I thought Sarah was my friend. But look what she just did to me."

I smiled. "Yeah, situations like yours definitely do serve to show you who actually cares about you."

"What did you say to them?" she asked.

"I told them that there's nothing harmless about bullying. That I've seen firsthand how quickly bullying can escalate. I wish I could have Aria take a day off of school and come here to tell her story to these kids. Maybe then they'd get that bullying is not something to be taken lightly."

"Why can't you? Why couldn't she come here?"

I chuckled. "Because every one of the kids in this school can do math. Even if I didn't tell them that we're engaged, it wouldn't be that big of a leap for them to figure out the truth."

"Right. I didn't think of that," she chuckled.

"Look, I'm going to go hand out the test to this class and then I'll come back and call your sister. You can stay in my office until she gets here. I'll let the front office know where you are," I told her.

"Thanks, Mr. Fitz," Bailey said.

I smiled and walked out of my office, shutting the door behind me. I handed the test out to the class and told them I had some business to take care of in my office, then went back there and called Alexis from the school phone so there would be a record of the call.

"This is Alexis," she answered. I realized she might not be able to tell who was calling.

"Alexis, it's Ezra," I said.

"Ezra? What's going on?" she asked. "Is Bailey okay?"

"Not really," I sighed. "I just laid it on thick to a group of girls who were harassing her at her locker. She's pretty upset."

"I'm on my way there," she said. "Tell her I have a surprise for her."

"I'll tell her," I said. "I'm going to let her stay in my office until you get here. I'll let the front desk know so they know where to find her."

"When is your planning period?" Alexis asked. "The surprise is that Jacob got home this morning right after she left. They granted him leave to come home so he could help me deal with the legalities of filing for custody. Anyway, he said he wanted to see you too. And Aria, but he'll see her tomorrow when she comes to pick me up so Bee and I can go to her fitting with her."

"Third period is my planning period," I told her, trying not to let too much on to Bailey.

"Great. We'll see you around ten-thirty then. Thanks for looking out for my sister."

"You don't need to thank me. It's part of my job. I'm supposed to try to protect my students."

"I also know you've gotten personally invested in Bailey, though," Alexis chuckled. "And I really appreciate it. It's easier for me to let her go to school knowing that you're there looking out for her."

"I'm glad," I said. "We'll see you soon."

I hung up and turned to Bailey.

"Well, she's got some stuff to take care of this morning, so she'll be here around third period," I told her. "I'll call the office and let them know you'll be here. She has a surprise for you when she gets here."

"Okay," she said. "Good thing I brought a book to read during lunch today."

"Or…you feeling up to taking the _Raisin in the Sun_ test now? So you don't have to make it up?" I suggested.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "I could do that."

"I'll come give it to you before next period," I told her. "You've still got a time limit."

Bailey giggled. "Okay."

The office called right as third period started to tell me that Alexis and Jacob were there to pick Bailey up. I walked her down to the front office, and her entire face lit up when she saw her brother-in-law, who was still in his fatigues.

"Jake!" she squealed, running up to him.

"Hey, Bee," he laughed, lifting her up into the air as he hugged her. "Good surprise?"

Bailey just giggled.

"I hear it's been kind of rough around here lately," he said as he set her back down on the floor.

"Yeah, you could say that," she sighed.

He chuckled. "Well, Lex and I are going to do everything we can to make it better for you. I promise. That's why I came home."

I turned to Alexis, who was all smiles watching her sister and husband.

"You never told me they were so close," I chuckled.

"Yeah, they're best buds," she giggled. "Always have been, ever since we first started going out when we were in tenth grade. He was actually the first one to call her Bee. He and I are the only ones who are allowed to call her that now. They're pretty adorable together."

"I can tell," I said. "She needed this after this morning."

"I had a feeling. If you don't mind me asking, what were the kids saying to her?" she asked me.

"I don't want to repeat it, but they were…teasing her about the reason your dad got arrested."

She shook her head. "God, it seems like a lifetime ago since I was in high school. But I don't remember kids being that cruel."

"Neither do I," I sighed. "Well, the reason Mr. White wanted me to speak at the assembly is because of what happened to Aria and her friends. He hopes I can talk some sense into the students about how harmful bullying is."

"If anything will help them see the light, it's Aria's story," Alexis told me. "It'd be nice if she could be the one to tell it, but that's way too risky for you."

"Which is why I'm not suggesting it," I agreed.

"Ezra," Jacob said as he walked up to me.

"Hi, Jacob," I said, holding out my hand.

He ignored my outstretched hand and went for a hug. I chuckled as I returned it. I felt a little awkward, but this wasn't entirely unexpected. I'd pretty much taken his wife and sister-in-law under my wing since he'd been gone.

"I just wanted to say thank you," he said. "For everything. For letting Alexis and the dog stay with you. For being here for Bailey. I know you didn't have to do any of that, especially not while you were just trying to get settled into a new house with Aria. But I'm so grateful that these girls had you here."

"You don't have to thank me," I told him. "Or Aria. We were both just doing what we felt was right. Thank _you_ for what you were doing, serving our country."

He smiled and chuckled a little. "I still appreciate it. If there's ever anything we can do to help you two, all you have to do is ask."

"Thanks. Look, I'm sorry to do this to you, but I should probably get back. I've got a stack of tests to start grading this period."

"Of course," Jacob said. "I don't know how you do it. I could never deal with teenagers all day, every day. We'll see you soon."

"Some days are definitely more of a challenge than others," I chuckled. "Like today. I'll see you soon. And I'll see you tomorrow, Bailey."

"See you tomorrow," she said with a huge smile on her face. "Thanks again for everything, Mr. Fitz."

I had to smile too. Thank God Jacob had come home. Alexis and Bailey both needed him here.

"You're welcome," I said, then turned to go back to my classroom.

I knew I shouldn't let what happened with those students get to me, but whenever I thought about it as the day progressed, it made my blood boil. It was like Alexis had said. I didn't remember kids being nearly this cruel when I was in high school. But seeing what Aria had gone through during her last two years in Rosewood, seeing what Bailey was going through here, it made me see red. I wanted to do something to make it stop, but I didn't know how. I had a feeling nothing I said to any of these kids would have any effect on them whatsoever.

The only highlight in my day was when I checked my personal email during my lunch period and found an email telling me that a surprise I was hoping to plan for Aria on our wedding day actually might be possible. It was a pretty elaborate surprise and I'd had my doubts about it actually working, but I'd decided to just go for it, figuring the worst thing that could happen would be that it wouldn't come to fruition. As it turned out, not only was it looking promising, but it wasn't nearly as expensive as I'd thought it would be either.

All in all, by the time I got to our house to meet the security company for the security system installation, Aria was definitely a sight for sore eyes. She'd beaten me by a few minutes, and so had the security company, so she'd just let them in and had them get to work.

"Hey," I said, immediately going for a much-needed hug.

"Hey," she chuckled. "What's wrong?"

"I just really don't remember kids being as cruel as I've seen them being to people I care about these past few years," I sighed.

"Something happen with Bailey?"

"Before the first bell even rang. There were four girls who had her cornered against her locker and were taunting her to the point where she started crying. And when I asked them why they thought what they were doing was okay, all they could say was that they were just having fun," I said, shaking my head.

"Jesus," Aria said. "Is Bailey okay?"

"I think she's better now. I called Alexis to pick her up, and guess who got into town right after Bailey left for school today?"

"No way. Jacob's home?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I guess he got leave to come home to help Alexis deal with the legalities of filing for custody. And Alexis never mentioned how close Bailey and Jacob are. Her whole face lit up when she saw him in the front office."

"Aww," she giggled. "Sounds like she needed that."

"She did. I just hope hearing your story at the assembly on Friday will knock some sense into some of these kids. Make them realize that this isn't a game."

"One can only hope," she sighed. "Well, at least we get to sleep in our own bed tonight. Finally."

"Thank God for that," I agreed. "It's been way too long."

When the security company left an hour or so later, after testing the new system to make sure it was working properly, we locked ourselves in for the night. As soon as the system was armed, Aria turned to me and, without another word, kissed me with enough passion to set the house on fire.

"I don't know about you, but I think we are long overdue for some alone time," she said.

I chuckled. "I completely agree."

I kissed her again and picked her up, carrying her upstairs to the bedroom. And I lost myself in her, letting all of the anger and stress that had been building up all day just melt away. It was almost a miracle how easily she calmed me down and made me forget all of my worries. If I had no other proof of how right this was, how right we were, that would have been enough.

"I have absolutely no idea what I would do without you," I sighed later as we were lying in bed, neither of us wanting to move.

"Not be in the middle of this mess at all?" Aria chuckled. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be here in Savannah right now."

"And I'd be completely miserable," I told her.

"So would I," she sighed. "I don't know what I would do if I had to deal with everything that's happening right now by myself."

"Well, luckily, neither of us will ever have to find out," I said, pulling her up so I could kiss her.

"Is it weird if I say that I'm almost glad that Mr. Thomas harassed me last semester? I could have gone without the assault that left me in a back brace, but if he hadn't started harassing me, we never would have met Alexis. And she's one of our closest friends now."

"Yes, it's weird," I teased.

"Thanks," she chuckled.

"But I feel the same way, sort of. I would rather nothing had happened to you at all, but I am glad we met her."

"I have this theory that everything happens for a reason," she told me. "If I hadn't had Mr. Thomas as a professor, I wouldn't have met one of my closest friends here in Savannah. If Mona hadn't started the A game, my friends and I would have stayed estranged after Ali disappeared. She brought us back together."

I chuckled. "And if I hadn't decided to have one more beer, we wouldn't have met when we did."

"Exactly," she said, giving me a kiss. "See, everything happens for a reason. I guess I have to believe that because otherwise I'd think the universe was just playing a cruel trick on me letting so much awful stuff happen to me."

"I still think that sometimes," I sighed. "It's not fair how much you've had to deal with over the past few years."

"But the thing is, the good things that have come out of it outweigh the bad," Aria said. "I have the best friends in the world, friends who have stood by me through all of it. And I have the world's most amazing fiancé, who makes me happier than I ever thought I could be."

"Smooth," I chuckled, kissing her head and squeezing her tight. "And back at you."

Two days later, I was in the auditorium with Mr. White and the other people who were speaking at this almost impromptu assembly. I still didn't really know how I planned on telling Aria's story. And how not to make it obvious that I was in love with one of the girls the story was about.

"You ready for this, Ezra?" Mr. White asked me.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I sighed. "It feels wrong telling Aria's story without her here."

"You know I would have let her come if you'd asked, right?"

"You've been in the same room as the two of us," I chuckled. "Do you honestly think we'd be able to hide our relationship?"

"You _did_ hide it for two years," he pointed out. "And you were obviously somewhat good at it since you're standing here now."

"That was called survival instincts," I countered. "Which kicked in and made me see reason when I thought about asking you if she could come today."

"Touché," he laughed.

The bell rang signifying that the students were supposed to be in their classrooms. The plan was to make them actually go to their fifth period classes so the teachers could take attendance and escort the kids to the assembly. To make sure no one tried to just leave campus or skip the assembly. There was a sub covering my classes today, since I had been here setting up for this all day.

Mr. White and I took our seats and waited as the seats in the auditorium started to fill. I saw several kids in black hoodies. My PTSD kicked in a little bit. Where I came from, black hoodies equaled very bad things. But I reminded myself that this wasn't where I came from. This was a thousand miles away from the place where black hoodies had any sort of negative connotation. Maybe these kids were just cold. It was pretty chilly here in the auditorium.

It wasn't until everyone was seated that I realized the hoodies were very carefully planned. And so was where every student wearing one ended up sitting. There were more than fifty students wearing the exact same black hoodies with their hoods up. And the students were seated so they formed a word with the black hoods. ARIA.


	21. Lights Out

Chapter Twenty-One  
 _Lights Out_

 **Ezra**

I froze for a second, then closed my eyes and opened them again, trying to make the message in the hoods disappear. But it didn't go anywhere. I turned to Mr. White.

"Are you seeing this?" I asked him quietly.

"I see it," he sighed.

"Do you think it's them or a teacher?"

"I don't know. We're going to have to question them. But as hard as it is, you need to act like you're not affected by this. No matter who planned this, don't give them the satisfaction of a public reaction," he told me.

I discreetly pulled my cell phone out to snap a picture for evidence. And as soon as I did, it buzzed with a text.

 _Two can only keep a secret if one of them is dead.  
-A_

Before I could stop myself, I started hyperventilating. I tried to slow my breathing, but I couldn't do it. What did this mean? Had this creep done something to Aria? Were they just taunting me, making me fear for her safety, to get a rise out of me? I didn't know. And there was only one way to be sure.

"Ezra, what is it?" Mr. White asked.

Without a word, I showed him my cell phone, with the text still pulled up.

"Quietly walk off the stage and call her," he whispered. "Make sure she's okay. If she can, have her come here so we can make sure she stays safe. Did you take a picture of the hoods?"

I nodded.

"Good. Send it to me. You and I are going to have a long afternoon ahead of us."

"Are we cancelling this?" I asked as I forwarded the picture to him.

"I don't think we have much of a choice now. We have to find out who's behind this. For your sake, for Aria's sake, for everyone's sake," he said. "Is there anyone else you trust enough to give a quick version of the story to so they can help us?"

"Carl Young. The teacher I share my office with. He doesn't know everything about Aria, but he's noticed that she's younger than I am from the pictures I have in there and he hasn't said anything or asked questions. He'll be discreet."

"I'll get him. Go call Aria. Then we'll round up the kids in hoodies," Mr. White instructed.

I nodded again and quietly stood up and walked off the stage. I walked into one of the dressing rooms and dialed her number.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," I muttered, trying to control my breathing.

It went to voicemail, and I realized she was probably in class. I called right back, hoping she'd realize this was important. Voicemail again, but three seconds later, before I could even dial again, my phone rang. She was calling back.

"Aria," I breathed as I answered it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, clearly confused. "Ezra, what's going on?"

I sighed, half in relief and half out of stress.

"I don't have time to explain right now," I told her. "Look, I know this is asking a lot, but can you come here to the school? Something's happened. I'm sorry I'm being so cryptic, but I need you to trust me."

"You know I trust you. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Thank you," I said, trying to keep my voice from catching. "Be safe. I love you."

"I love you too," Aria said. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," I sighed, then hung up.

I walked to the school phone they had backstage and picked it up, pressing zero for the front office. I told them Aria was on the way and asked them to page me in the auditorium when she got here. Then I walked back onto the stage, trying to calm my nerves. Mr. White was already there with Mr. Young, and they were clearly waiting for me before doing anything else.

"She okay?" Mr. White asked.

I nodded. "She's on her way here. The office knows where to find me."

"I hope you don't mind, but in the interest of maximizing time, I gave Carl the thirty-second version of what's happening," he told me.

"I noticed the message in the hoodies immediately when I got in here," Mr. Young said. "I had a feeling it was meant for you. I'm happy to help however I can."

"We need to find out what these kids know," I said. "If they have any idea what they're doing or if they're just wearing the hoodies and sitting in those seats because they were told to. And if I'm right, if a teacher put them up to this, we need to get them to give up who it was."

"This can't just be one teacher," he pointed out. "There's too many kids."

"I tend to agree," Mr. White said. "So we need to find out which teachers they are. I don't want either of you saying one word to the teachers. Especially you, Ezra. You tell me what you find out and let me handle talking to them. Am I making myself clear?"

I sighed. I knew he was right. Especially about me talking to any of the other teachers who were involved. I was too close to this. I wouldn't be able to think clearly or have enough perspective to actually get any useful information out of them. Because I'd probably end up putting them in the hospital before they could get a word out. Taunting me with messages from a new A was one thing, but threatening the woman I loved? That was crossing a line.

"Crystal," I said.

"I understand," Mr. Young said.

"I'll go say something," Mr. White said as he walked to the microphone.

"Well, Carl, you said you wanted to meet her," I chuckled tensely.

He chuckled too. "I wish it was under other circumstances."

"So, this afternoon has taken a turn," Mr. White said into the microphone. "And, ironically, the turn ties in with one of the things this assembly was supposed to address. It was supposed to address what has happened with the teachers who have been arrested this year, but I was also going to have one of the teachers at this school who has seen exactly what taunting and bullying can lead to talk to you about that, because we have seen it escalate towards the victims of these teachers. Bullying is not tolerated here at Jenkins High School, in any form. Bullying students or bullying teachers. And it seems that the teacher who was supposed to speak to you about bullying today has now been turned into a victim of it himself. Some of you, whether knowingly or not, have taken part in this. I'm going to dismiss this assembly, but Mr. Fitz, Mr. Young, and I are going to be asking some of you to stay behind and talk to us. I want you to understand that you're not in any trouble right now. We're just trying to understand what's happening and we hope you can help us."

He walked back up to me and Mr. Young and sighed.

"I'm going to go to the door and have the kids in the hoodies stay. Carl, if you can have them sit in the front of the auditorium. Ezra, send that picture to Carl too. We're going to have to show the kids the picture if they don't know what they did."

Mr. Young and I both nodded, and he and Mr. White walked down the stairs to the only exit. Mr. White opened the door and asked them to line up in an orderly fashion one class at a time and exit the auditorium. He discreetly asked all of the kids who had been wearing hoodies to stay. By the time everyone had left the auditorium and the only people left were me, Mr. Young, Mr. White, and the students in the black hoodies, the front desk was paging me to let me know that Aria was here.

"Bring her back here with you," Mr. White said quietly. "We can't keep her safe if we can't see her. And maybe it'll help drive the point home if these kids have a face to put with the name."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I practically sprinted to the front office, and I was out of breath by the time I got there. Aria was standing there waiting for me, in one piece and every bit as perfect as she had been this morning when we left home.

"Aria," I sighed, enveloping her in my arms. "You're okay."

"I'm okay," she said, rubbing my back. "I promise. Are you going to tell me what's going on now?"

I hesitated for a second, then decided to take her back to my office for a minute so I could talk to her before we went to the auditorium. I knew there was a classroom full of kids there, but I really didn't care if they saw her. I hadn't exactly made it a secret that I was engaged. And, as a matter of fact, this period had been the period I'd had to leave in the middle of when she'd been assaulted. So they knew better than most how much I cared about Aria.

"Come with me," I said. "We're going to my office for a second before we go where we're actually headed. We need to talk."

"Okay," she said as we started to walk. "Can you do me a favor though?"

"Anything," I told her.

"Can you try to calm down? You're starting to scare me. I'm here, I'm fine, and whatever happened, we'll deal with it together. Okay?"

I chuckled. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"That's all I can ask," she said, squeezing my hand.

We walked back to my classroom, and of course, everyone turned to look at us as soon as I opened the door.

"I'm not actually here," I said to the class. "Ignore me. I just needed something in my office. And anyone who has been in there probably recognizes my fiancée from the pictures. This is Aria."

Aria chuckled a little as the class gave a unanimous monosyllabic greeting.

"Come on," I told her, unlocking my office and opening the door. I let her in, then followed her and shut the door behind us.

Before I actually said anything, I pulled her back where the kids couldn't see, where there wasn't a window. And I pulled her in for a much-needed kiss, which calmed me down a little bit. Assured me she really was okay.

Aria chuckled when I finally let her talk.

"I'm kind of getting a sense of déjà vu here," she said. "Having to hide from students."

I chuckled too as I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Except that would never have happened in my office back then. And the office wouldn't have been a shrine to you."

I walked back to the desk to sit down, and she laughed when she saw all the pictures I had of us, of her, and of her photography projects on my bookshelf and desk.

"I thought I was joking when I said that," she giggled. "I'm not sure whether to be touched or creeped out. Am I about to marry an obsessive psycho?"

I couldn't help myself. I laughed in spite of how stressed out I was. Maybe that was her goal. Matter of fact, it almost certainly was.

"Possibly," I said. "Pull up a chair."

She sat down on my desk instead.

"Or that works," I chuckled, then sighed. "Look, something happened at the assembly today. But it's easier if I show you instead of tell you."

I pulled out my cell phone and pulled up the picture of the auditorium full of students with the black hoodies spelling out her name. Without a word, I handed it to her.

"Oh, my God," she gasped.

"It gets better," I told her, pulling up the text message and handing the phone back to her.

"Jesus," Aria said. "Ali used to say that all the time."

That was news to me. And it added another layer to this mystery.

"You never told me that," I said. "Who would know that besides you and your friends? Would Mona or Charlotte know?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I never heard either of them say that, but it doesn't mean they didn't know she said it."

"So now do you see why I called you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"We're going to the auditorium. Mark and the teacher I share this office with have rounded up all the students who were wearing the hoodies. I'm going to help them question the students. You're probably going to be bored out of your skull, but it was actually Mark who suggested that you come here so we can make sure you stay safe. And we can't keep you safe if you're not with us. I don't trust anyone else at this school at this point."

"I don't blame you. I'll be fine until you get done."

"Thank you," I sighed. "For trusting me. For coming here without asking questions."

"We're getting married in less than four months, Ezra," Aria said. "That wouldn't be happening if I didn't trust you. And you've trusted me without explanations before. This was me returning the favor."

I wanted to kiss her again, but we were in front of the window. And I had to act professional in front of my students. So I settled for taking her hand and kissing it.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you too," she said as she hopped off the desk. "Come on. Mark's probably wondering where you are. And forward me that picture and text. I'm going to talk to Alexis and Ali while you're questioning the kids. See if either of them can help at all. Alexis might be able to tell me what teachers her dad is close with. We can see if there's any overlap with the names you get from the kids."

"Good thinking," I realized.

I forwarded the picture and text to Aria, then grabbed my briefcase, which I'd stashed here this morning, just so I'd look like I'd actually retrieved something from my office just now. We headed out of my office and classroom and back to the auditorium. It seemed like Mr. White and Mr. Young were waiting for me.

"You didn't have to wait on my account," I said as we walked in.

"Well, you're the reason we're all here. It's only polite," Mr. Young said.

"How thoughtful of you," I chuckled.

Mr. Young laughed, then turned to look at Aria. "And you must be Aria. Ezra talks about you so much I feel like I know you already."

I chuckled again, and so did Aria.

"He tends to do that," she said, shaking his hand.

"This is Carl Young," I told her.

"Nice to meet you," Aria said. "I'll make myself scarce. You guys do your thing."

She walked to the very back of the auditorium, pulled her phone out of her purse, then dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Okay," I sighed. "Let's get to it. Have you told the kids why we're here?"

"No," Mr. White said. "We thought you might want to do that."

"Right," I chuckled and turned to look at the kids.

Every single one of them was a student of mine. That couldn't be a coincidence. Well, that would actually make this easier. Because, generally speaking, my students liked me. I didn't think any of them would have taken part in this had they known what they were doing.

"Okay, guys, remember what Mr. White said," I started. "None of you are in any trouble. I know all of you, and I'm fairly confident that none of you would have taken part in this had you known what you were taking part in. But as it stands, Mr. Young, Mr. White, and I are going to take you each aside individually and ask you some questions. And we need you to be honest with us. You're not in trouble, but we do need to figure out why and how this happened."

I turned back to Mr. White and Mr. Young, who were looking at me expectantly, like they expected me to take the lead with this. Even though Aria was safe and here with us, I was still barely holding it together. I didn't know how I was supposed to be the strong one in this scenario.

"You two ready to do this?" I asked.

"What are we asking them?" Mr. Young asked.

"I think the obvious question is if they knew what they were taking part in," Mr. White said. "And then if, as I suspect, they didn't know, we need to find out who had them wear those hoodies and sit in that configuration. Keep note of the names you hear and tell me when we're done."

"Do we tell them who Aria is if they ask about it when they see the picture?" Mr. Young asked me.

"Tell them she's my fiancée," I sighed. "I haven't made it a secret that I'm engaged."

"Okay then," he replied. "Let's do this."

I walked up to the first student I could get to, a girl named Brooke who was in my fourth-period class.

"Brooke, come with me," I said.

She stood up, looking like she thought she was walking to her execution. I walked her to the very back of the auditorium near where Aria was sitting, but not close enough that she could hear us.

"Listen to me," I said quietly. "You don't have to be scared. I promise you're not in trouble. I know you're a good kid. I just want you to answer a couple of questions the best you can for me, okay?"

Brooke nodded.

"Do you have any idea what happened in the assembly today?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I'm really confused."

I took a deep breath and pulled out my cell phone, pulling the picture up.

"I took this a couple of minutes before Mr. White dismissed everyone," I told her as I turned my phone so she could see.

"Aria," she said. "Wait, isn't that…"

"My fiancée's name," I finished.

"That's what I thought. Oh, my God. I swear I had no idea, Mr. Fitz. You're one of my favorite teachers in this school. I wouldn't have worn this if I'd known Mr. Sharp was trying to hurt you or her."

Well, that was easy. I hadn't even had to ask her who put her up to it. She'd just volunteered the information. I hoped it would be this easy with the rest of them.

"Mr. Sharp? The history teacher?" I clarified.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I forgot a homework assignment earlier this week and he told me he'd excuse it if I wore this hoodie to the assembly and sat in seat B26."

B26. Really? Wow. I shook my head before I could stop myself. I was sure that was just coincidence. No one knew the significance of that number. Wait, yes they did. My poem. Damn it. Anyone who Googled my name could find that poem and realize that B26 was significant to me. They wouldn't know why necessarily, but they'd know it meant something. I was sure whoever the mastermind behind this was made sure that seat number was used when he was planning out the diagram of where students would sit to spell out Aria's name.

"Okay," I told her. "Thank you for being honest with me, Brooke. Go ahead and go back to class."

"That's it?" she asked.

I couldn't put my finger on why, but it seemed like there was something else on Brooke's mind. Maybe something she was afraid to say.

"That's it," I said. "Unless there's anything else you want to tell me?"

Brooke seemed to hesitate for a second, like she was trying to decide whether or not to tell me her secret. Trying to decide if she could trust me.

"Maybe later," she finally said. "Looks like you have enough to worry about right now."

"Okay. If you change your mind, you can always come to me. I've been told I'm a pretty good listener."

"Thanks," she chuckled as she stood up. "Good luck, Mr. Fitz."

I followed her back down to the front of the auditorium and walked up to the next student I could get to, one of my second-period students.

"Zach, you're up," I told him.

Zach looked almost guilty as he walked towards the back of the auditorium with me. I went over the spiel about him not being in trouble again and verified that he had no idea what he had taken part in just now. He looked confused as I showed him the picture of the assembly.

"Aria," he said. "Who's Aria?"

"My fiancée," I sighed.

"Why would anyone want to spell your fiancée's name out in black hoodies?"

I chuckled. "Telling you the part that I do know about that would take more time than we have. And I'm hoping maybe you can help me with the part I don't know."

"How?"

"Can you tell me who asked you to wear that hoodie today? And why?"

Zach was silent. It was painful looking at how uncomfortable he obviously was about that question. Clearly he had done something worthy of disciplinary action and whoever it was who had asked him to wear that hoodie had promised to wipe the slate clean if he did what they asked.

"This is a safe zone," I told him. "You've got immunity right now. I promise I will not take any disciplinary action, no matter what you tell me."

He sighed. "Remember I wasn't in your class on Wednesday?"

"I remember. Let me guess. You skipped it."

"Yeah," he said, hanging his head. "I…uh…I was behind the bleachers by the track smoking with a couple of other guys. And the coach caught us and sent us all to the dean's office."

"Okay," I said. "You know, you really should kick that habit. Smoking is horrible for you."

"After this, I'm never smoking another cigarette again. Um, anyway, we went to Dean Schneider's office. And he told all three of us that he would ignore it if we wore hoodies to the assembly and sat exactly where he told us to. Seemed easy and harmless enough. None of us knew why he wanted us to do it. We just didn't want to get in trouble. I'm so sorry, Mr. Fitz. I didn't know he was trying to hurt anyone."

Holy shit. This wasn't just teachers. This was administration too. That scared the hell out of me. If I was being honest, it made me want to quit teaching here. But I couldn't do that right now for a number of reasons.

"I know," I told him. "I don't think any of you who were involved knew. And I'm not mad at any of you. Thank you for telling me the truth. But no more skipping class. Deal?"

"Deal," he chuckled.

"Can I trust you to go back to your class now if I send you out of here?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I promise. You can even ask Miss Traynor on Monday."

"No, I'm going to take your word for it," I told him. "Go ahead and get back to class."

A couple more kids told me about the dean and one more mentioned the same history teacher Brooke told me about before the bell rang for the students to head to sixth period. We gave the kids a break and Mr. Young escorted those who had to use the restroom to the nearest bathroom so he could make sure none of them left. And I went back to see Aria for a few minutes.

"Hey," she said, squeezing my shoulder. "You okay?"

"Not even close," I sighed. "A new A targeting me is one thing. Threatening you? That's crossing a line."

"Well, I did find out one useful thing. Charlotte's doped up on drugs and isn't allowed phone calls or visitors except for family. So if anyone found out about that phrase, it would be Mona who told them. Even though she claimed to be reformed, I wouldn't put anything past her. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. And I throw like a girl."

I chuckled. "I don't trust her either."

"I'm going to talk to Hanna and have her ask Mona if anyone's been asking questions lately. As long as you're okay with that. I just feel like Mona is most likely to tell her the truth," she said.

"If you think Hanna can help, I have no problem with it. I trust your friends."

"Ezra, are you sure you should be doing this? Talking to these kids?"

"Who else is supposed to do it?" I countered. "Only a handful of people here even know who you are."

"So have them do it," she said. "Have people you trust question them. This is stressing you out even more than you already were. I can see it written all over you."

"Well, I only have another hour to finish with them," I sighed. "Then we can go home and try to forget about this for the weekend."

"Oh, I'll make sure you don't even remember it by the time Monday rolls around," she teased. "Even by the end of the night."

"Is that right?"

"And my work here is done," Aria chuckled. "I got you to smile."

"What would I do without you?" I said, shaking my head.

"Not be here questioning a bunch of kids about why they were spelling my name out in black hoodies?"

"Touché," I chuckled as I stood up and kissed her head. I really didn't care who saw at this point.

About ten minutes into the next period, all the lights in the auditorium went out. It was pitch black. Mr. White, Mr. Young, and I used our cell phone flashlights, and so did the rest of the students who were still with us. And the first thing I noticed was that Aria was no longer in the back of the auditorium. I ran back to where she had been; her purse was there, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Aria?" I called.

She didn't answer.

"Aria!" I tried again.

Nothing. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Ezra, what is it?" Mr. White called from the front of the auditorium, where he'd relocated all of the students to keep them together.

"She's gone," I gasped, barely able to catch a breath.

"None of the doors have opened," I heard Mr. Young say. "She has to be in here somewhere."

"Okay, everyone, get up and look," Mr. White said. "That girl Mr. Fitz came in with? She's his fiancée. None of the doors have opened, so she has to be in here somewhere. I want you to search every row, every seat, every aisle until you find her."

"Oh, my God," I heard a couple of students mutter.

"What's going on?" a few others asked.

"We don't know what's happening," Mr. White said as he started to search. "But right now, Mr. Fitz needs our help. So come on, get up and look."

The twenty-five or so kids who were left all got up as a group and spread out throughout the auditorium. And as they started to search (and I kept searching), I realized this was almost futile. It was going to take us three times as long in the dark.

"Where's the fuse box?" I asked, still trying to catch a breath. "We need light. Real light."

"I've got it," Mr. Young said, heading to the back of the auditorium. "I was a drama kid in this school not so long ago."

I kept looking on the floors and in every seat, but nothing. My heart was at a standstill and I couldn't breathe except for short gasps of air. It felt like when Charlotte had taken her all over again. All I could think was that I couldn't survive losing her.

A few minutes after we all started scrambling around looking for Aria, the stage lights came on. And Aria was sitting in a chair on the stage with her wrists duct taped together, her legs duct taped to the chair, and a piece of duct tape covering her mouth that had A written on it in permanent marker. That was why she couldn't answer when I'd called for her. And it was a huge problem. When she'd been trapped in the burning dollhouse, the smoke inhalation had damaged her lungs permanently. She wasn't asthmatic, but she did carry a rescue inhaler. I'd only seen her use it a few times, when we were in Pennsylvania for the winter and it had been below freezing outside, but she always kept it with her just in case. Anyway, I knew what duct tape on an asthmatic's mouth could do. I wasn't about to take any chances with this. I'd never moved so fast in my life as I did getting up onto that stage.

"Jesus," I said, kneeling down in front of her. "Aria."

She lifted her head to look at me. For some reason, she stayed hunched over, trying to keep her chest hidden. But I could figure that out later. My first order of business was to get that duct tape off her mouth.

"I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt. Probably a lot," I told her, kissing her forehead.

In one swift motion, I yanked the duct tape off. I figured it was best to treat it like a Band-Aid. Aria immediately started wheezing and coughing. She needed her inhaler. I turned around to find all of the students and my fellow faculty members gathered around the front of the stage. Mr. Young had managed to turn the lights back on. I took a couple of breaths, trying to stay calm and collected in front of my students.

"Her purse is in the back," I said to no one in particular. "Can someone bring it to me, please? She needs her inhaler."

"I've got it," a girl named Kelly, one of my sixth-period students, said. She turned around to run to the back of the auditorium.

"Breathe, Aria," I instructed, using every ounce of strength I had to stay calm. "Breathe."

She just kept coughing and wheezing.

"Come on, babe," I said softly. "You can do it. Take slow, even breaths."

Aria tried to obey, but it didn't really work. She needed the albuterol badly. She was wheezing so bad it sounded like she was whistling. Even with her inhaler, a trip to the ER seemed to be in our future. Kelly ran up the stairs on the side of the stage with Aria's purse. I fished around in it until I found the inhaler, which of course was at the very bottom. Jesus. How did she ever find anything in this damn bag?

I held Aria's inhaler up to her mouth and helped her take a couple of puffs since her hands were still taped together. She kept coughing for another minute or so, but eventually her breathing slowed to almost normal. Maybe we'd avoided a trip to the ER after all.

"Can you breathe now?" I asked her. "Can I get to work on this duct tape?"

She smiled a little and nodded. I tried to tear the duct tape off of her wrists, but it was hopeless. It was too bunched up. I was sure whoever had done this had planned that.

"I swear to God no one is going to get in trouble for admitting to this. Does anyone have a pocket knife?" I asked, chuckling at the irony of the fact that I was actually asking the students if any of them had a weapon.

Mr. Young and Mr. White chuckled too. And one of the boys in the auditorium, another sixth period student named Ben, nervously walked up to the stage. I went to grab the knife from him.

"Really? You just borrowed a weapon from a student?" Aria rasped when I got back to her. It was literally the first thing out of her mouth since I'd taken the duct tape off.

I laughed a little; so did everyone else. She was just fine, if that was the first thing she could think to say.

"Confiscated," I corrected. "I think he realizes he's not getting it back."

More chuckling from the peanut gallery. I really wished my students hadn't had to see this, but I was blown away by how respectful they were being. They'd just let Kelly be the one to get Aria's purse and hadn't all fought over who got to be the hero. And Ben had admitted to having a knife on school property because he wanted to help. I'd have to remember to say something on Monday. Thank them for being so respectful and mature.

I kissed Aria's hand, then used the pocket knife to cut the duct tape around her wrists and legs. As soon as I got it off, she knelt down next to me and threw her arms around my neck. I held her tight and kissed her head.

"You're okay," I breathed, talking as much to myself as I was to her. "You're okay."

I vaguely heard a collective sigh of relief coming from behind us, but I was too focused on Aria to pay much attention to it.

"All right, kids," Mr. White said. "The rest of you are off the hook today. We'll talk to you on Monday. Go on and get to class."

As soon as the students left the auditorium, Aria pulled back to look at me. And I saw why she'd tried to keep her chest hidden. Whoever had done this had taped her page of the Rosewood High School 2012 yearbook to her shirt. At the top of all of the senior pages of that yearbook was a caption: "Rosewood High School Class of 2012." And then they'd put the page with my faculty picture on it on her lap, with "Too good to be true?" written underneath it. They were trying to make it obvious that she was my student last year.

Suddenly I realized what that message on the plywood on our kitchen window a week ago had been about. It had been meant for me. This person was calling me a hypocrite because I had called CPS on Adam Fisher and had been pretty vocal about how disgusted I was with Todd Yancey when I'd been romantically involved with one of my own students. This new A was after me specifically. And they were probably also doing what Todd Yancey and Adam Fisher had done to their students. They were trying to deflect blame and attention away from themselves. But now the tables were about to get turned. Because I'd caught on to their game. And I had the school's principal on my side.

"Did you see who did this to you?" I asked Aria.

"He was wearing a hoodie just like everyone else, but he was definitely faculty," she rasped. "Too old to be a student."

"Could you see anything about him?" Mr. White pressed.

"It was hard to tell in the dark, but I think he was blonde. Middle aged. And about Ezra's height, but a little heavier," she said, then went into another coughing fit. I handed her inhaler to her and she took another couple of puffs.

I sighed. That description matched one of the three faculty members I'd heard mentioned today. David Schneider. The dean of attendance.

"I heard David Schneider's name mentioned a few times today," I said.

"So did I," Mr. Young agreed. "Sounds like him."

"Wonderful," Mr. White said, deflated. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me on Monday."

I took the yearbook pages off of Aria. On closer inspection, I noticed that our pictures were both circled, leaving no doubt about what anyone who was looking at them was supposed to see.

"Mark, take a look at this," I said, handing them to him.

"Great," he sighed. "Looks like the cat's out of the bag."

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Young asked.

"Show him," I instructed. "He helped us today. He deserves to know."

Mr. White handed the pages over without a word, and Mr. Young chuckled as he looked at them.

"I had a feeling," he said. "But it's none of my business. And clearly your intentions are honorable since you're getting married this summer."

"But obviously David Schneider has an issue with it," Mr. White said.

"I hate to say this, but what if he's trying to turn suspicion away from himself?" I asked. "What if he's involved in something he doesn't want you finding out about?"

"That thought crossed my mind too," he agreed. "He has seemed to be…disapproving of our friendship. But we have no proof other than him doing this to Aria."

"If it was him," I realized. "That description Aria just gave matches about fifteen faculty members. But he's the only one I heard mentioned today who looks even remotely like that. Call it gut instinct."

"Which I hate to say is probably spot on. Did any of the kids see the yearbook pages?" Mr. Young asked.

"I don't think so," Aria said, sounding almost back to normal. "He told me he was going to expose Ezra for the hypocrite he was. I knew that could only mean one thing, so when he taped the pages to me, I tried to hunch over as much as I could to hide it."

"I led you into a trap," I realized. "He _wanted_ to scare me and make me bring you here. I brought you right to him."

"It's not your fault, Ezra," Mr. White said. "It's no one's fault except for his. Now, get your fiancée out of here. We'll get back to this on Monday."

"Ready to get out of here?" I asked Aria.

"Beyond ready," she said.

As we walked out to the car, my first instinct was still to take Aria to the hospital. I didn't want to take chances. Especially with how long it had taken her to get a full sentence out without coughing. But I also didn't want to force her to go if she didn't feel like it was necessary.

"Tell me the truth," I said when we got in the car. "Do you feel like you need to go to the doctor? Can you breathe?"

"I feel a lot better," Aria said. "Really. I don't think I need to see anyone."

"And would you tell me if you did?" I pressed.

She gave me a pointed look. She didn't like that question much. And she didn't dignify it with a response. I sighed and kissed her hand, then turned the car on.

Neither of us said anything on the way home. Because really, what was there to say? It seemed like half the teachers in that school were trying to terrorize me, and some of the administration too. And the dean of attendance himself had almost put Aria in the emergency room with that damn duct tape on her mouth. My blood was boiling and I was seeing red, I was so enraged. I wanted to put _him_ in the emergency room for bringing her into this. More than that, though, I was scared to even set foot back in that school. But I didn't have a choice.

Aria was the first one to speak when we got in the door and armed the security system.

"Ezra, come here," she said quietly.

I turned to face her, and she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my chest without another word. I just returned the embrace and rested my head on top of hers. I still couldn't really talk. I hadn't been that scared since…well, since Rosewood.

"We're okay," she told me. "It's over."

"Is it?" I said. "I still have to teach in the same school he's a dean at."

"That was the dean?"

"Yep," I sighed. "I'm almost positive. The dean of attendance. A couple of kids told me he was involved. I think he might be A."

"Don't go missing the woods for the trees," she reminded me. "You haven't even finished questioning half of the kids. And we've been burned focusing our attention in the wrong place when it comes to looking for A's before."

"I know," I told her. "But he's still worth a second look."

"On Monday. Right now, we're here inside our house with a state-of-the-art security system. No one can hurt us tonight. Or this weekend."

"You're right," I agreed.

"So, you're going to help me start dinner, since it's going to take a while in the oven. And then we're going to go take a shower and try to forget about this for a little while. Okay?"

"Okay," I chuckled, smiling a little despite myself. "But I have a phone call to make first. I promised Mark I'd tell him when we made it home."

She nodded. "I'll go turn the oven on."

I took a breath and dialed Mr. White's number.

"Ezra," he answered on the first ring. "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah, we made it home," I told him. "And the security system is armed now, so if anyone tries anything else, we'll know about it."

"Good," he sighed. "Did the kids mention anyone else while you were talking to them today?"

"Tim Sharp and Walter Reid."

"I'll talk to them on Monday. Did you recognize any of the kids that were left?"

"All of them. They're all my students," I said.

"Okay, I want you to slowly question the rest of them over the course of next week. Can you handle that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I can do that," I sighed.

"Good. Now, I'd say you and Aria have earned a nice, relaxing weekend in."

"It would seem she agrees with you," I chuckled.

"Smart girl," Mr. White said. "I'll see you on Monday. We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise."

"Thank you. For everything," I said. "See you Monday."

I hung up and joined Aria in the kitchen, where she'd started a pot of water boiling. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder; she giggled as she turned around to face me.

"Yeah, that's not going to help dinner get in the oven any faster," she laughed, giving me a kiss.

As our lips met, all of the stress of the day seemed to come to the surface, needing a way to be released. I couldn't tell who it was who deepened the kiss, but suddenly there was an electricity between us that almost audibly hummed. I quickly looked at the counter behind her, making sure it was clear, before lifting her up onto it.

Aria moaned quietly and wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. Almost instinctively, without thinking about it, I pulled her top off, then kissed her neck and collarbone. And as our lips met again, she pulled my tie off and quickly unbuttoned my shirt. Within about thirty seconds, it joined hers on the floor.

I pulled her closer still and as I ran my hand down her leg, I realized she was wearing a skirt. At this point, logic and reason were almost nonexistent for both of us. We were being driven by something else entirely. Desire, need, or maybe a combination of both. Maybe a need to feel something, anything, other than the fear of the past few hours. I reached under her skirt and quickly pulled her underwear off, and she scooted a little closer to the edge of the counter and pulled my belt off, dropping it on the growing pile of clothes on the kitchen floor. At the last second, I remembered to reach over and turn the stove off.

As we made love right there in the kitchen, it was like I couldn't hold Aria tight enough or kiss her for long enough. It was almost like I was trying to convince myself that she was really here with me. And I realized how terrified I'd actually been that I would never see her again. When I'd gotten that text message. When the lights had gone out in the auditorium and I couldn't find her. The fear of losing her was an almost paralyzing fear unlike anything else I'd ever experienced.

Even after we were done, for some reason, I still couldn't let go of her. I was almost frozen in place as I stood there half-dressed with my arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Ezra, look at me," Aria said after a couple of minutes, kissing my shoulder.

It took everything in me to unfreeze myself and pull back to look at her.

"It's okay," she said softly. "I'm okay. I'm right here. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"You know, it's scary when you do that," I sighed.

She chuckled and kissed me. "Sorry. So are we going to stay here like this all day or are you going to let me off this counter at some point?"

I chuckled as I backed up and re-zipped my pants, then helped her off the counter.

"Oh my God," she said suddenly as she grabbed her shirt off the floor.

"What?" I asked.

"The curtains are open," she giggled, then started laughing.

I looked and sure enough, the curtains on the kitchen window were wide open. I prayed none of our neighbors had happened to be coming home from work or walking their dogs within the past fifteen minutes. Luckily, I hadn't seen any of them with kids, so at least I didn't have to worry about a kid having seen us. I had to laugh with her. I was every bit as mortified as she obviously was.

"Okay, so I'm going to go change my clothes and sanitize this counter and then we're actually going to make dinner," Aria said when she caught her breath.

"Don't forget figuring out how we're going to manage looking our neighbors in the eye again," I chuckled. "You have to fit that into the plans somewhere."

"That too," she said, blushing crimson. "That's all on you, though."

As soon as we'd changed our clothes and Aria had wiped the counter down with Clorox wipes, she started the water boiling again and pulled everything for whatever she was making out of the fridge and cupboards.

"Okay, fair warning, I found this recipe on Pinterest. So we might end up ordering pizza," she told me.

I laughed. "And you've roped me into helping because you want someone to blame if it turns out terrible? Is that it?"

She chuckled and kissed me. "No. I roped you into helping because you need to be distracted from what happened this afternoon. And cooking helps calm me down, so I figured it might help you too."

I sighed. "Do you have any idea how scared I was when I realized something happened to you? When I saw that duct tape on your mouth? I was sure we were going to end up in the ER tonight."

"I know," she said, winding her arms around my neck. "It was a close call. I didn't even realize my lungs were that bad. If it had been even another minute or two, I probably would have passed out. But it's over now. And I'm not going to let this hang over our heads all weekend. Okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"Nothing yet. Well, maybe pour yourself a drink. I'd say you've earned one."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I teased.

Aria laughed. "I think we've just proved that I don't _need_ to get you drunk to have my way with you."

"Touché," I chuckled.


	22. Pumped Up Kicks

Chapter Twenty-Two  
 _Pumped Up Kicks_

 **Aria**

"Aria!" Hanna said as she answered the video chat request.

"Hey, Han," I chuckled. "How are you?"

"Beyond ready for spring break," she said. "You?"

"Well, seeing as my spring break lasts for two and a half days and is going to consist of going to the trial of the man who assaulted me to watch him testify and watch the closing arguments, I'm not quite as excited about it as you are," I told her.

"You're not even going to get to do anything fun?"

"Well, Ezra's school lets out early on Friday, so I think we're going out of town for the weekend. Unfortunately, our spring breaks don't match up."

"That sucks," she sighed.

"Yeah, but that's the story of my life lately. Nothing's easy," I sighed.

Ezra kissed my head and squeezed me tight without a word. He'd barely left my side since we got home yesterday afternoon. What happened in the auditorium had really thrown him for a loop. And the thing was, I hadn't even told him the worst part. He was already worried enough. I didn't want to add to it.

"Except the wedding planning, from what you've told me," Hanna said.

"Yeah, that's going like clockwork, thank God. Still trying to find a deejay and videographer amongst our friends, but almost everyone we know here and in Rosewood is already doing something," I chuckled. "We may have to break down and pay for them."

"But it would be nice to have people you know and love doing that," she agreed. "So I know you love me, but I also know you're crazy busy right now. So why did you want to video chat today?"

"I can't just want to talk to one of my best friends?" I laughed.

Ezra chuckled too.

"I think if you did, Ezra wouldn't be sitting right there. Hi, Ezra," Hanna giggled.

I held the phone further out so they could see each other.

"Hey, Hanna," he said, sounding a little deflated.

"Okay, you're right," I admitted. "I do have an ulterior motive besides just wanting to talk to you. Um, something happened yesterday. It's been happening for a while, but it kind of came to a head yesterday."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Um…we've got another A here in Savannah," I started.

"You what?" she gasped.

"Yeah," I sighed.

I took about fifteen minutes telling Hanna everything that had happened within the past month and a half. About Mr. White getting that envelope of newspaper articles and the note on the day Alexis had moved in with us. About what happened with A breaking into the house and trying to kill Belle by giving her heat stroke. And about A clearly having an issue with Ezra having a relationship with me while being pretty vocal about his feelings about what Mr. Yancey and Mr. Fisher had done. Then I told her what had happened yesterday. Every bit of it. Ezra spoke up every now and then when I forgot something important, but he let me do most of the talking.

"Oh, my God," Hanna said when we were done bringing her up to speed. "Are you okay now?"

"I think so," I said truthfully. "I really had no idea my lungs had been damaged _that_ much by the smoke in the dollhouse. I barely ever use my inhaler at all. I think I used it more yesterday than I have in the entire time since we got out of the dollhouse."

Ezra squeezed me and kissed my head again. He clearly didn't like talking about this. I used the hand that wasn't holding the phone to lace my fingers through his. He squeezed my hand tight, which kind of hurt my engagement ring finger a little.

"Yeah, I don't use mine a lot either," Hanna agreed. "That's insane though. Clearly someone at that school has a serious beef with Ezra."

"That's one way to put it," Ezra sighed.

"Look, Han, the reason I wanted to talk to you is because of that text Ezra got yesterday. Do you remember Ali saying that exact thing to us?" I asked her.

"That was the first thing I thought of when you told me that," she said. "It was one of her favorite phrases."

"Besides us, can you think of anyone who would know that?" I pressed.

"Not really."

"I talked to Ali yesterday and she told me no one new or different has contacted her at all. And Charlotte is doped up on drugs and can't have phone calls or visitors except family. I was wondering, do you think Mona would know that was one of Ali's trademark phrases?"

"It's possible," Hanna said. "I don't talk to her a lot anymore. But she did do a _ton_ of research on Ali. And she had some of Ali's journals when she went missing. So maybe she read it?"

I sighed. "I know this is asking a lot, but can you talk to her? Please? I feel like she's most likely to tell you the truth if she did know about it and if she has had anyone ask questions about us or Ali or what she did as A."

"Yeah, I'll talk to her," Hanna sighed. It was obvious she wasn't thrilled about the idea.

"Thank you," I said. "Really. From the bottom of my heart. I know Mona is probably one of the last people you want to talk to."

"It's just weird. She was one of my best friends, and then she terrorized us for months, and then she was my friend again, and then she wasn't."

"I know," I sighed. "And if Ezra and I had any other options right now, I wouldn't be asking you."

"I know that," she said. "I'll do it. If I can help stop the person who's trying to hurt you and Ezra, I want to. When you get married, you want a fresh, clean slate. No baggage."

I smiled. "You're right. Though it's not like we can do anything about it if we can't resolve it within a couple of months."

"You will. I know you two, and I know there's nothing you won't do to make this stop. Look, I'm going to try to call Mona. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later," I said. "Thanks again, Hanna."

"You don't have to thank me. What are friends for? I'll let you know what I find out."

"Okay. Bye, Han," I said.

"Bye. Bye, Ezra," Hanna said.

"Bye, Hanna," he chuckled.

I ended the video chat and turned my head to look at Ezra from where I was curled up against his chest. He was looking down at me like I was the only person in the whole world. Like I was _his_ whole world. Which I knew I was.

"Ezra, tell me the truth," I pressed. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," he sighed. "Some psycho who works at my school is terrorizing me. Maybe more than one psycho. I'm almost positive someone who is a member of the administration and can try to get me fired is part of it. Oh, and they almost put you in the emergency room yesterday with nothing other than a piece of duct tape. Imagine if they'd had something else. Like a gun or a knife."

"No, the students were the ones carrying the knives," I teased. I still couldn't believe he'd actually asked his students if one of them had a knife.

He chuckled a little, but didn't say anything.

"Seriously, though, playing devil's advocate, I don't think that person _knew_ putting a piece of duct tape on my mouth could potentially land me in the ER. How could they when even I didn't?" I pointed out. "I had no idea my lungs were that damaged. I'm pretty sure using that duct tape was just supposed to be for shock value."

"But they still did it," Ezra insisted. "They drug you into the middle of this. This shouldn't be your battle to fight. You're fighting enough battles of your own already."

"Ezra, we're about to get married. The fact that you have a battle to fight at all makes it my battle too. I'm pretty sure that's in the wedding vows we're about to take. For better or worse, remember?"

He smiled a little. Clearly he liked being reminded of our impending nuptials. So did I, for that matter. I couldn't wait to be married to him. We might as well have been already, but there was just something about making it official. Something about having a day coming up soon that was about nothing other than celebrating our love for each other. If nothing else, in the middle of this insanity, it gave us something to look forward to. Something to fight these battles for.

"Still, I made you a promise that I was going to make your life easier. That I was going to do everything I could to give you the peace and happiness you've more than earned after these past few years. Not add more pain and suffering to your life," he said, his voice catching a little.

"Stop it," I scolded. "Right now. _You_ are not doing any of this. _You_ are not the one who duct taped me to a chair and almost suffocated me by putting duct tape over my mouth. _You_ are not the one who is trying to destroy your reputation at that school."

"But it's because of me that this is happening. That your life is even more dangerous and difficult right now than it needs to be."

"Do you know what else is happening because of you?" I said. "In the middle of this insanity, I get to come home every night to the man I love. You're the one person in this whole world I feel completely safe with. I can go to sleep at night and know that nothing can hurt me as long as I'm here with you. So I don't want to hear you saying anything about how you're making my life worse. You make it so much better. You are what makes my life worth living."

That got a real smile out of him.

"Back at you," he said, squeezing me tight. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said, sitting up a little so I could kiss him. "So, we are going to salvage this weekend somehow. And since I'm way too wound up to fall asleep…I think we should watch _Chinatown_."

He laughed. "If you actually stay awake through that whole movie, I will be amazed."

"Then prepare to be amazed," I told him. "I'm starting the coffee just to make sure of it."

"Coffee and popcorn. That's an interesting combination," he chuckled.

I did stay awake through _Chinatown_ , which was every bit as boring all the way through as the parts I'd already seen a million times made it seem. But I was out like a light by ten. I couldn't remember a time when I'd fallen asleep that early since this semester had started.

The lights in the auditorium went out and a man whose breath smelled like alcohol and cigarettes was right in my face, threatening to kill Ezra if I made a sound. I stayed as quiet as I could and just let him take me up to the stage by a route that he knew no one would be walking on. I heard Ezra calling my name, but I couldn't say anything. Because the man had already duct taped my mouth shut just to make sure of it. As soon as I started inhaling the chemicals, my chest physically hurt. It felt like my lungs were on fire.

"I'm going to expose that fiancé of yours for the hypocrite he is," the man with the horrible breath said right into my face as he duct taped my wrists together and my legs to a chair with strips of tape that he'd clearly already cut.

Then he fondled my breasts before taping something to my chest. Even though my wrists were taped together, I fought him off the best I could with my arms. When he realized he wasn't getting anywhere with that, he reached between my legs and up my skirt, where there was less resistance since my legs were duct taped apart. I lifted my hands up and around his neck and grabbed his head to hold it still while I head butted him to stop him from touching me there. I'd already stopped one person from violating me like that. I wasn't about to let someone else succeed in their attempts if I could help it.

"You little bitch," he hissed as he taped something else to my skirt. "Kevin told me you were a feisty one. If I had time, I'd make you pay for that."

And then he was gone. And I was awake, gasping for breath, my lungs on fire just like they'd been while that tape was on my mouth. I hadn't told Ezra about what the man, who was apparently the dean, had said and done to me other than the obvious. But I realized I couldn't keep it from him forever. Because I had a feeling that he'd done that to students at the school too. And Ezra needed to know that. To warn Mr. White.

"Aria?" Ezra asked. I'd clearly woken him up. "You okay?"

I coughed, unable to catch a breath, just like when he'd first taken the tape off of my mouth.

"Do you need your inhaler?" he asked.

I nodded. He shot up and grabbed my purse from where it was sitting on my vanity. He handed it to me without a word and I found the inhaler in probably a fraction of the time it would have taken him. It had actually been a little comical watching him dig through my purse trying to find it when my hands were taped together. I took a couple of puffs and put the inhaler on my nightstand. Ezra rubbed my back and waited for me to say something.

I tried to come up with words. God, this was hard. This was harder than when I'd told him about Mr. Thomas. Knowing that he worked with this creep made this so much more personal. And difficult. But I couldn't put this off, not even until the morning. I'd lose my courage by then.

"I have to tell you something," I started. "About what happened in the auditorium. I should have told you yesterday, but you already had so much else on your mind and I didn't want to add to it."

"What are you talking about?" Ezra said. "What happened?"

"Whoever that man was, I think he's hurting students. Molesting them."

He froze for a second. "What makes you say that?"

"Because he tried to hurt me," I sighed. "Tried to stick his hand up my skirt. And he'll probably have a black eye from when I fought back to stop him. But he just seemed like he was sure he could get away with it. Like he was sure I wouldn't do anything or fight back. It made me think it wasn't the first time he'd done that to a teenage girl."

Ezra just hugged me tight and kissed my head. I could tell he wasn't mad at me for not telling him right away, which I'd been worried about. If he'd gotten to anger yet at all, it was directed towards whoever had done this, not at me for keeping the secret.

"How did you fight back while you were duct taped to a chair?" he finally said.

I had to laugh. That was really the first thing he could think of to say?

"I'm surprised I don't have a goose egg on my head," I chuckled. "Head butting him hurt like hell. But apparently in all his research about us, he didn't read about the fact that I'm a fighter. And that I don't give up easily."

"Yeah, I think the newspapers left that out," he said, kissing my head again. "Which means he saw you as a victim. Weak. Someone he _could_ hurt. Jesus Christ. I don't even know what to say. Thank you for telling me."

"You told me once that you don't want any more secrets between us," I reminded him. "I don't want that either. And I definitely don't want whoever it is who did that to me to get away with hurting any more girls. Girls who are probably too scared to fight back."

"Or come forward," he sighed. "A few of the girls I was talking to in the auditorium seemed like they wanted to say something else, but none of them did. But of course they wouldn't. It's like you said when I told you about Bailey. A male authority figure is the one who's been hurting them. Why would they feel safe telling another male authority figure about it?"

I suddenly had a thought. I knew he'd be hesitant to agree to it, but I realized it just might help with getting students to come forward if something was happening to them.

"You're not going to like this," I started.

"I'm not going to like what?" Ezra asked, sounding suspicious.

"Well, you know I have spring break the second half of this week. What if I came in on Friday, the short day, and talked to all of your classes? Told them what happened to me because my friends and I didn't tell adults we trusted what was happening to us? Maybe it might help some kids to realize that no matter what this guy has said to them, no matter what he's threatened them with, the only way he'll stop hurting them is if they say something about it," I suggested.

"The only part of that idea that I don't like is you coming back to the school where you got hurt yesterday," he said. "Besides that, it's brilliant. And brave."

I chuckled. "I'll be with you the whole time. Right there next to you. So if someone comes in and turns the lights out again, I'll grab your hand and I won't let go."

"Well…that does get me off the hook for having to come up with lesson plans for thirty-minute classes. Which I hate doing."

"So is that a yes or a no?" I asked.

"That's a, 'let me talk to the principal and make sure he's okay with it,'" Ezra said.

I laughed and kissed him. He pulled me close, enveloping me in the warmth and safety of his arms. My favorite place in the whole world to be. And it wasn't too long before I fell back asleep.

I woke up before Ezra did the next morning, and I just laid there in bed watching him sleep. I'd never understood why he liked watching me sleep so much until right now. There was just something about how peaceful he looked. Like all of his cares and worries were gone for a little while and he was just completely relaxed. And seeing him relaxed like this was so rare lately. I'd always been torn between thinking that him watching me sleep was romantic and thinking it was borderline stalker behavior. But now, getting a rare opportunity to turn the tables, I could do this all day long.

But unfortunately, it only lasted a few minutes before Ezra stirred and opened his eyes. The smile that had melted my heart since the day I'd met him spread across his face. The smile I responded with wasn't even voluntary. It was just a reflex response.

"I think this is a first," he chuckled. "I don't think you've ever woken up before me."

I chuckled too and cuddled up next to him. He didn't seem to mind one bit. Matter of fact, he seemed to welcome it. He wrapped his arms around me like a cocoon and kissed my hair. _This_ was what a weekend together was supposed to be like. And we hadn't had a normal weekend in a while.

"I don't think I have either," I said. "But I'm going to guess it took you a while to fall back asleep after I dropped that bombshell on you at two in the morning."

"Guilty," he sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I should have told you as soon as we got out to the car," I told him.

"Were you scared?" he asked.

I knew he wasn't talking about being scared to tell him. He knew I felt safe telling him anything. I knew he was asking me if I'd been scared while it was happening.

"A little," I admitted. "But my lungs felt like they were on fire and I had so much adrenaline rushing through my system trying to fight back. There really wasn't room for fear. Not until he disappeared and it was still pitch black and I couldn't breathe."

"God, you're strong," he said, sounding awed, as he kissed my head again. "You amaze me. After everything you've been through, what happened on Friday should have just made you freeze."

"I already got a broken back stopping one creep from violating me. I wasn't about to let it happen this time, especially not like that," I said.

"You realize talking about this now is making me want to bring you back to that school even less than I already did, right?"

"I know. But I promise I'll be fine. I just hope Mark can find out who hurt me. So he can fire the guy for doing that in front of a bunch of students. Oh, he might want to search the dean's office for alcohol too. Guy smelled like a bar."

"In the middle of the school day?" Ezra scoffed. "Classy."

"Ain't it though?" I chuckled. "It's like he's _asking_ to get fired."

Suddenly, something else clicked for me. Something I hadn't even registered with everything else that was happening at the same time. He'd said that Kevin told him I was feisty. And I only knew one Kevin. Kevin Thomas.

"Ezra, I just realized something else. Something that didn't even register with me until just now," I said a minute or so later.

"What?" he asked.

"I think this guy knows Mr. Thomas," I told him.

"What makes you say that?"

"When I head butted him…he told me that Kevin had told him about me. Told him I was 'feisty.' His words, not mine."

Ezra chuckled a little.

"That you are," he said, kissing my head. "It's one of the things I love the most about you."

"Thing is, I only know one Kevin," I said, trying to get him back on track.

"Kevin Thomas. That can't be a coincidence. And if he knows Kevin Thomas, what do you think the chances are that he knows Michael Crawford?"

"And Michael Crawford is representing Adam Fisher in his case," I realized. "Oh, my God. Ezra, I think this is a lot bigger than we realized."

"It's like a perverted version of _Six Degrees of Separation_ ," he sighed. "Wonderful."

"This could bring the whole school down if we don't tread lightly. Are you sure me talking to the kids is a good idea?"

"Yes," Ezra said immediately. "I'm even surer of it now. If no one comes forward, this guy, and probably more teachers, are going to be allowed to keep teaching at that school. Having kids come forward is going to be the only way to stop them."

"What if I talk to Alexis too? Have her come in with me? The kids might connect with her more since she's Bailey's sister," I suggested.

"If she's willing," Ezra said, then sighed. "Much as I really don't want to get out of bed right now, it looks like I have a phone call to make."

"So do I," I sighed.

Alexis was more than willing to come with me to talk to Ezra's classes. And Mr. White was every bit as disturbed by what Ezra told him as I'd figured he would be. He welcomed Ezra's suggestion of having me and Alexis talk to his classes. It would have been nice if it could have been the whole school, but a small portion of the students hearing our message was better than nothing. Maybe word would spread.

On Thursday afternoon, Becca, Jordan, Kendra, and Alexis all came over to the house after we attended the trial. We'd missed Mr. Thomas's testimony, but were able to be there for closing arguments. And for the jury's verdict. They returned a unanimous guilty verdict within two hours, just like the first time. And this time, it would stick. This time it was for real. Mr. Thomas's parole officer wouldn't even be born for another fifteen years.

Ezra seemed to be waiting for all of us when we got home. I knew he'd felt bad that he couldn't come with us, but I'd assured him that I would be fine to go by myself. Especially since I wasn't really alone. I had a pretty amazing group of friends who had come with me. And now, we were going to just hang out for the rest of the night. It had been way too long since we'd all spent time together. Even Alexis was excited about it. She'd become every bit as much a part of our circle of friends as the people who were still attending Savannah College of Art and Design.

"Hey," Ezra said as we walked in, giving me a kiss. "So how'd it go?"

"Okay, I guess," I said, trying to hide my happiness at what had happened. "I mean, the jury did return a unanimous guilty verdict within two hours."

He laughed and kissed me again. "I'd call that better than okay. That's amazing. I wish I'd been there."

I couldn't put my finger on why, but for some reason I felt like his happiness and excitement was about more than just the guilty verdict. I knew him too well. He was up to something.

"I wish you'd been there too," I told him. "Thank God that's over."

"No joke," Jordan said. "If I never see the inside of a courtroom again, I'll be thrilled. That was torture."

"We weren't even there for most of it, and I'd have to agree," Kendra said.

"Guys, I'm going to go get changed," I said. "Go ahead and make yourselves at home. I'll be right back down."

I wasn't even upstairs getting changed for five minutes, but when I came back down, all of my friends looked like they were keeping something from me now too.

"Okay, what gives?" I said as I sat down next to Becca. "You all look like you're plotting something."

"What are you talking about?" Jordan said. "You've been upstairs for all of three minutes. We haven't had _time_ to plot anything."

"I think all this time in courtrooms has made you a little paranoid, Aria," Kendra teased.

"So how about we talk about planning your bridal shower?" Becca said. "It's going to have to happen pretty much right when we get to Rosewood."

"Speaking of getting to Rosewood, Aria, do you guys need any other jobs filled for the wedding?" Alexis asked. "I feel a little left out, not doing anything."

"Um, how are you with a deejay stand or a video camera?" I chuckled.

"Terrible," she chuckled. "Too bad the photography slot's already spoken for."

"Actually, what if we play musical chairs?" Kendra said. "I'm decent with a video camera. What if I do the video and Alexis takes the second photographer slot? I even have some kick-ass video editing software, so I can edit it and make it look slick and professional."

"Please say yes, Aria," Alexis said. "I would love to be one of your photographers."

I shook my head like I was saying no.

"Yes," I said after a few seconds.

All the girls giggled, and Ezra emerged from the kitchen.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"Well, we don't have to hire a videographer anymore. Now we just need a deejay," I told him.

"Which I can talk to Aiden about, actually," Jordan said. "He used to deejay on occasion when he was in high school. And he was already coming as my date anyway."

"Okay, then," he said. "I'm going upstairs."

I chuckled. "A little too much estrogen in one room for you?"

"Maybe a little," he teased, kissing my head. "But I guess I'll have to get used to it."

"I'm going to order pizza soon," I told him. "I'll come get you when it gets here."

"Okay," he said, then kissed my head again and turned to go upstairs.

Becca fake gagged.

"Really?" I chuckled. "Us having a normal conversation is gag-worthy?"

"Face it," Kendra said. "Look up 'adorable couple' in the dictionary and there would be a picture of you two there."

"I have to agree," Jordan giggled. "Really. You two are so cute it's disgusting."

"Thanks, I think," I laughed.

Ezra and I stopped to pick Alexis up on our way to the school the next morning. Since she was going to be talking to Ezra's classes with me, he felt responsible for her. For making sure nothing happened to her. Jacob had offered to come as extra muscle just in case, but Alexis had told him it wasn't necessary.

I didn't realize how awkward I'd feel being in Ezra's classroom, waiting to talk about what had happened to me in high school. Especially since a handful of these kids had seen me in a pretty vulnerable position just a week ago. I was sure word had spread too. So every one of these kids would know about the fact that I almost ended up in the ER last week.

"Why do you look like you're about to throw up?" Ezra asked me.

"I'm not much of a public speaker. And especially not to a bunch of kids who know I almost ended up in the ER because of a lousy piece of duct tape," I chuckled.

"Well, this was your idea," he reminded me. "And yes, word spread fast. And you had about a hundred and fifty eleventh graders who were very worried about you on Monday. So I'm pretty sure they're just going to be glad to see you're alive and well."

"And hey, at least you know one student in the last class of the day will be happy to see you," Alexis teased.

I chuckled. "True. Does she know we're here?"

"Nope, I thought I'd surprise her," she chuckled. "We actually have our custody hearing right after school today. Jake's picking us both up here and we're headed straight to the courthouse."

"That's great. Are you nervous?" I asked.

"A little. But Dan's lawyer friend has been amazing. He's confident we'll get custody."

"Do you want us to come? For moral support?" Ezra asked.

"I won't say no," Alexis said. "I could use the moral support. And so could Bailey."

The first bell rang and students started to filter in. I thought I recognized a couple of them from the auditorium, but I couldn't be sure. As soon as the bell rang again to signify students were supposed to be in their classes, Ezra stood up and walked around to the front of his desk.

"Okay, guys, I have good news and bad news," he started. "The good news is that we are going to deviate from poetry for the day."

The class laughed, and I had to laugh with them. Learning poetry was always my least favorite thing too.

"The bad news is that the reason we're deviating from poetry is probably going to be a little uncomfortable for you," Ezra continued. "The assembly that got cancelled last week was supposed to address a very serious and important topic. And it's something that I think needs to be addressed. But since I know you guys take what I say with a grain of salt, I've brought a couple of friends with me today to talk to you about it. I expect you to give them your full and undivided attention. Yes, I will hand out detention to anyone I catch being disrespectful to our guests. And no, it's not just because I'm marrying one of them in a few months."

Everyone chuckled, and I felt myself blush a little. Alexis rubbed my shoulder.

"Anyway, this is my fiancée Aria and my very good friend Alexis. And I'm going to turn this over to them."

I looked at Alexis.

"Do you want to go first?" I asked.

"Sure," she said, standing up and going to the front of the class. "Hey, guys. My name's Alexis Brooks. I'm sure some of you know my little sister, Bailey Fisher. And from what she tells me, word has spread about what happened with our dad recently. What you probably don't know is that our dad did the same thing to me that he did to Bailey. And I tried to tell someone here about it, and when that one person didn't believe me, I became convinced no one would. My dad had told me no one would believe me if I told on him. So I never said anything else. I just let it keep happening. I left home as soon as I could, and I tried my best to live a normal life. But then after just one semester at college, one of my professors sexually assaulted me. And the dean didn't believe me either after the district attorney refused to charge that professor with my assault. It felt like I was a magnet for this stuff. And it felt like I was responsible for it. I kept thinking that maybe if I'd just tried a little harder, if I'd just told one more person, maybe things would have been different. Maybe I could have stopped my dad from hurting Bailey too.

"I got married a few years ago to a man who helped me to see that none of this is my fault. That it was only the fault of the people who hurt me. And that it was okay to speak out, even if I couldn't get justice for myself. I could help other people get the justice they deserved. That was how I met Mr. Fitz and his fiancée. I met him because I was trying to help Aria avoid getting hurt like I did at college. And, as it turned out, they helped me get my own justice for what happened to me at college. Because I told them about it. And the closure I got from testifying against my attacker in a court of law…it made me want to help my sister get the same closure for what our father was doing to her. So I encouraged her to talk to an adult she trusted. To tell that person what was happening so they could try to help her. And because she was braver than I was, because she didn't stop talking until someone listened, our dad is now facing criminal charges for what he did to us. Both of us.

"I didn't tell you this because I wanted you to feel sorry for me, or to feel sorry for Bailey. I told you this because I want you to understand that if someone is hurting you, whether it's a fellow student, a family member, or another adult like a teacher or a friend of your parents', the only way it can stop is if you come forward and talk about it. No matter what this person has said to you, no matter what threats they've made to you, there are resources out there to help you. And there are people who will stop at nothing to make sure whoever is hurting you is held accountable for their actions. I told you what I told you today because I want all of you to be braver than I was. If someone is hurting you, talk to an adult you trust. Talk to Mr. Fitz, or to another teacher, or to your guidance counselor, or to your parents, or even to Mr. White. Call the police if you have to. Don't stop talking until someone listens. There are people who care about you, and if someone is hurting you, they would want to know. Because they would want to help. So let them."

Alexis came back to sit down next to me and gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. I took a deep breath and went to stand where Alexis had been standing.

"Hey, guys," I started. "My name's Aria Montgomery, and, yes, I'm Mr. Fitz's fiancée. I think I remember seeing a couple of you last week under very different circumstances. But that's not why I'm here today. I'm actually here to talk to you about something that happened to me and my friends when we were your age. Something that we never told anyone about until it was too late. I want to preface what I'm about to tell you by saying that I swear to God, everything I'm about to tell you actually happened. Matter of fact, I'm only going to skim the surface of what happened, because telling you everything would take way longer than we have. The book I could write about what I went through in high school would probably be longer than _War and Peace_."

Everyone laughed, especially Ezra and Alexis. This wasn't so bad. I could do this.

"Okay, so on Labor Day weekend before my sophomore year of high school, one of my best friends disappeared from the barn we were all having a slumber party in. When we went to sleep, she was there. Then we all woke up in the middle of the night to find our friend Spencer coming back into the barn and telling us that Alison was missing and that she thought she heard Alison scream. When they didn't find her after a couple of months, everyone assumed she was dead. Or so I heard. My dad actually took a sabbatical leave after that and took my entire family to Iceland for a year. Partially to get me away from everything that was happening with the investigation into Alison's disappearance.

"It was when I came back for my junior year of high school that things really started happening. The four of us who were left, me and my friends Emily, Spencer, and Hanna, started getting messages from someone taunting us. This person would only ever identify themselves as A. We all thought it stood for Alison. Because they taunted us by telling us they knew things only Alison would know. Like about my friend Hanna's eating disorder, or about my friend Emily being gay before she came out of the closet to anyone else, or about my dad having an affair with one of his grad students. It started out harmless enough. Just taunting us with this knowledge. Taunting us with things about Alison's disappearance that were never in the papers. But it quickly escalated. It became a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where my friends and I were the mice. Eventually one A was caught. And then another one popped up. And it escalated. My friends and I all almost died. I ended up in a wooden box on a train and almost got thrown off of the moving train in that box, but my friends found me before that could happen. Then we found out that our friend Alison was actually alive, but that she was so scared of A that she didn't feel safe coming back home. She'd been on the run for over two years, just trying to stay hidden. We ended up going to meet her, and we all ended up on a rooftop with A. And had it not been for a friend we didn't know we had coming to our rescue, we all probably would have died. Because this A had a gun, and she wasn't afraid to use it. She ended up dying because of the game she'd started playing.

"My friends and I thought it was over after that. But it was far from over. Another A popped up. And this one was the worst one yet. To make a long story short, three of my friends and I and another friend of ours named Mona all got kidnapped by this newest A and held hostage in an underground bunker. Each of us had a room that was made to look like our bedrooms at home. And we were all made to wear clothes from the time before Alison disappeared. I'd had a pink highlight in my hair and A dyed it back that way while I was unconscious. And A did the most horrible and unimaginable things to us. Things I'm not going to talk about. We were down there for three weeks. And we had people who were looking for us day and night that entire time. It turned out they got there just in time, because that bunker, which we unaffectionately called the dollhouse because we felt like we were just A's dolls in that place, caught on fire. Our friends on the outside found us as we were running around trying to find an escape, inhaling the smoke into our lungs and almost passing out from the smoke inhalation alone. All of our lungs were permanently damaged from that. But the physical scars it left us with are nothing compared to the emotional ones. Those scars will never really heal. They'll never go away. I still have nightmares about what I went through for almost two years to this day.

"Just like Alexis, I didn't tell you this because I want you to feel sorry for me. I told you this because I wanted you to understand what can happen when you don't tell someone you trust when something bad is happening to you. My friends and I never told anyone what we were going through. We never told a teacher or our parents or the police. We were too scared to. The one time we tried to go to the police, A wiped our phones of all the evidence we had. And we were too scared that no one would believe us if we just told them without evidence. So it just kept getting worse. It kept escalating. And we almost died. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think that maybe if I'd just told someone. If I'd just told a teacher I trusted. If I'd just told my mom. If I'd just gone to the police. Maybe things would have been so different. Maybe I wouldn't be left with these scars that will never really heal.

"I told you guys this today because I want you to understand that there are people out there who want to help you if someone's hurting you. Whether it's another student, a teacher, a friend, a family member, or even if you don't know who it is. There are people who will believe you if you tell them about it, even if you don't have a shred of proof. And I want you to be braver than I was. I want you to tell someone. Tell a teacher you trust. Tell an adult friend. Tell a parent. Tell the police. Because the only way anyone can make it stop is if you tell them. I'm living proof of what can happen when you don't tell someone what's happening to you."

I went back to sit next to Alexis, and Ezra flashed me one of his heart-melting smiles as he stood back up. He was proud of me.

"Look, I could tell you my own stories about this kind of thing too, but I won't," Ezra said to the students. "I think what these ladies just told you is enough. So the only thing I'm going to say is that I really want you to think about what they told you. And I want you to know that I'm always available if there's ever anything you want to tell me. I'll make time to talk to you privately. Before school, after school, during lunch break, or even over the weekend. I'll listen to every word you have to say, I'll get you whatever help you need, and I promise that no one who doesn't need to know will ever find out what we talk about. If you're not comfortable talking to me, talk to someone else. Another teacher. Your guidance counselor. An adult friend. A parent. Talk until you're blue in the face if you have to. Talk until someone listens. Because I promise you, there's someone out there who will."

Almost on cue, the bell rang, and it was time for the students to leave.

"And there it is," Ezra said. "Have a good spring break, everyone. Be safe. I'll see you in a week."

The next period went like clockwork. Just as good as the first one had. And third period was Ezra's planning period, so he caught up on entering some grades and Alexis and I just talked a little about wedding planning. She told me that she was going to be bringing Bailey with her, which meant the bachelorette party had to be appropriate for a minor. Since I was just planning on an evening of Cards Against Humanity and chick flicks with friends, that wasn't an issue at all.

Alexis had just started her now well-rehearsed speech with Ezra's fourth period class when something unexpected happened. Something none of us could have predicted in our wildest dreams. Ezra's classroom had a window facing the courtyard, so we could hear students outside having their lunch. And we also heard something else coming from the courtyard, as clear as day. A gunshot.

 **(Author's note: The title of this chapter comes from the song "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People, which is actually about a kid preparing to start shooting his classmates at school. Disturbing song, partially because it actually has a good beat and is kind of fun, but obviously has a very dark meaning. Anyway, it was supposed to be a little bit of foreshadowing for anyone who got the reference.)**


	23. Under the Gun

Chapter Twenty-Three  
 _Under the Gun_

 **Aria**

There was another gunshot almost immediately, assuring all of us that we weren't just imagining things. The students let out a collective scream, and Ezra immediately jumped up from his desk, clearly in survival mode. There were two doors that needed to be barricaded, plus some windows that needed to be shut. He took a breath before speaking.

"Okay, guys, I know it's hard, but I need you to stay calm," he said. "We're going to get through this, but I need you to do exactly what I say when I say it. And the first thing I need you all to do is put your phones on silent. Not vibrate, silent. Now."

Ezra, Alexis, and I all pulled our phones out along with the students and made sure they were on silent.

"Aria, Alexis, get the shades on the windows," Ezra instructed.

Alexis and I ran to the windows and made sure they were all locked, then pulled the blinds shut. This was a risk, because we had no idea where the shooter was or if they could see us closing the blinds. That would clue them in that this was a classroom with kids in it. There was another gunshot, and everyone gasped. A few of the girls screamed.

"Listen to me," Ezra said. He had a stern tone, letting the kids know he meant business, but he was as calm as ever. "I need you all to _stay calm_. And be as quiet as possible. I know it's hard, but once there's no one running around in the hallways, one word or sound can clue this person in to the fact that there's people in here. Do you understand me?"

The terrified students nodded.

"Good," he sighed. "Okay, I need those of you in the back to get a few of the desks together and block the door leading to the balcony."

Since I was already relatively close after having shut the windows, I helped the students gather half a dozen desks. I locked the door and hitched the chair part of one of the desks under the doorknob to provide some extra resistance. I chuckled a little as a random memory of using a chair to "lock" Ezra's office door at Hollis leapt to mind.

"Quietly, guys," I whispered. "Give me more desks. A couple of you boys, stack them two high and three deep. Interlock them as much as possible."

"The rest of you, as quietly as you can, I need you help me clear a path so I can push my desk against the other door. Move these desks out of the way. Pick them up and move them. No scraping them across the floor," Ezra continued.

I went to help Ezra and the other students, confident that the students I had working on creating a puzzle of desks against the balcony door were doing fine. Within another couple of minutes, and a couple of gunshots later, we had a path cleared to the door.

"Tommy, Matt, help me with my desk," Ezra said.

The two boys he'd called for, obviously either basketball or football players, went and helped Ezra push his huge wooden desk against the other door. I grabbed his chair and set it on top of the desk, hooking one of the legs under the locked doorknob.

"Okay, everyone, into my office. Now," Ezra said once we'd barricaded the doors. "Go to the very back where there's no windows and sit down on the floor."

Alexis and I waited with Ezra until all of the students were in the office. We were the last ones to enter, turning off the lights in the classroom as we went in and locking the door behind us.

"Guys, hand me stuff to cover this window," he said as we walked into the office. "Posters, boxes, anything. The darker, the better."

Alexis and I formed a sort of assembly line, Alexis taking the items from the students and me handing them to Ezra. As soon as we'd blocked the windows, Ezra turned off the light and sat down on the floor, close enough that he could still hear if someone was in the classroom. I sat down next to him, not willing to leave his side. If this was our last day on earth, I wasn't about to spend it any farther away from him than I had to be. He pulled out his cell phone and quietly called the police. I was sure someone already had, but it never hurt.

"Aria, come here," he whispered, barely audible, when he got off the phone.

I scooted closer to him, but apparently it wasn't close enough. He pulled me onto his lap and held me tight, kissing my head. We hadn't heard another shot for a while, and that was starting to scare me. Because either this shooter had a specific target in mind and was now headed in that direction or was already dead.

"I love you," Ezra whispered right into my ear, kissing my head again. "More than anything."

"No," I whispered back. "Do not start saying your goodbyes. We're going to make it through this."

He chuckled a little. "Okay. I still love you."

"I love you too," I told him.

"Bailey's not texting me back," Alexis sniffled quietly.

"She's okay," I told her, reaching to put a hand on her shoulder. "She has to be."

I suddenly had a horrifying thought. And that thought was that it was awfully convenient that this happened today. While Alexis and I were here encouraging students to speak up if someone was hurting them. I pulled my phone out, not wanting the kids to hear me say anything to Ezra. I pulled up our text message thread.

 _Coincidence that this happened today? While Alexis and I are here?_ I wrote, holding the screen so he could see.

He took the phone from me, deleting what I'd written.

 _That was my first thought_ , he wrote.

 _It's so quiet now_ , I wrote back after deleting what he'd just written. _On their way here?_

He didn't take the phone back from me. He just squeezed me tighter and kissed my forehead. I saw a message notification flash across my screen. It was Becca. She knew Alexis and I were here today.

 _Jenkins is on the news. Please say you and Ezra are okay._

I showed Ezra the text and looked at him, wanting to know if it was okay to text her back. He nodded.

 _We're fine for now,_ I wrote back. _Please tell K, J, and A._

Ezra chuckled a little, and I gave him a look, wanting to know what could possibly be funny right now. He pointed at the text I'd just sent Becca. Specifically the initial I'd used for Aiden. A. I shook my head and chuckled a little too. Irony at its finest.

We sat there in silence, just waiting. Waiting for what I felt like was the inevitable. The shooter coming in here and trying to kill me and Alexis and Ezra. What I didn't expect was to start getting texts from my friends across the country and my parents. Apparently we were on national news. They didn't know I was here, but they knew Ezra was. I texted them all back, telling them that I was with him, but safe for the moment.

"Check your phone," I whispered to Ezra. "Wes might have texted you."

He nodded and pulled out his phone. He had texts from his brother and, surprisingly, his mother. He texted both back and told them he was okay.

I couldn't tell how long we'd been sitting there when I heard the sound I'd been dreading. A shot through one of Ezra's classroom windows. The shooter was here. We _were_ this person's target. I heard scuffling around and a couple of pained groans. Probably the shooter cutting themselves on broken glass as they climbed in the window. A few of the students whimpered; I choked back my own sob.

"Quiet," Ezra whispered so everyone could hear. "Not a sound."

"Mr. Fitz?" came a voice, clearly a female student. "I know you're in here. Come out where I can see you."

We all stayed silent and still. Ezra squeezed me so tight it almost hurt.

"I know where you are. I was in this class last semester. I know where you'd hide," the girl said.

None of us moved.

"Mr. Fitz, I'm going to give you one minute. If you don't come out here, I come into that office and I start killing people. And I'll start with your fiancée. I know she's here today."

Ezra moved me off his lap. Of course. Someone had threatened to hurt me. He couldn't let that slide.

"Ezra, no," I whispered, sniffling. "You don't have to be the hero."

"I need to keep these kids safe," he whispered. "And you and Alexis. You're all my responsibility right now. No matter what."

"And _I_ need you to keep yourself alive," I said quietly, my voice catching in a sob. "Don't do this. Please."

Ezra swallowed, and I could tell he was trying to keep his own tears back.

"Aria, I have to go out there," he said, stroking my cheek. "I need you to be strong right now. Please. Don't make this any harder than it already is."

I let the tears fall as I kissed him, not caring who saw at this point. Ezra was about to sacrifice himself to keep this office full of kids safe. This might be the last kiss I ever got from him.

"I love you," I whispered.

"No goodbyes," he whispered back, then stood up and walked towards the office door.

I stifled another sob, and Alexis pulled me against her shoulder, letting me drench her shirt. A couple of the girls at the front of the group crawled over and they all caught me up in a group hug. I couldn't believe the compassion of these girls who didn't know me from Eve. They hadn't heard my story yet. They didn't know how much I'd already been through in my life. And they would never have any idea how deep my bond with their teacher went. What we'd been through together.

"He'll be okay," Alexis whispered.

"We don't know that," I sniffled.

"Believe it," one of the girls whispered. "You have to believe it. Believe in him."

I heard the office door open and stifled yet another sob. I couldn't take this. I didn't understand how the human body was built to process this much agony.

"Chloe?" I heard Ezra say. "What is this? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I heard her snap.

"Okay, that was a dumb question. Let me try this one. _Why_ are you doing this?"

"I have to," I heard the girl say. "He said he'd kill me if I didn't."

"If you didn't what?" he asked.

This was smart. Keep the girl talking for long enough to either let law enforcement take her down or be able to disarm her himself.

"If I didn't bring my dad's gun to school and kill you and your fiancée and your friend."

I heard Ezra take a breath.

"Who told you that?" he asked.

"I can't tell. He'll kill me," she sobbed, clearly terrified of whoever this was. I almost felt bad for this girl. Almost.

"Listen to me very carefully, Chloe," Ezra said slowly. "Your dad is a cop. So I think you know you're in a lot of trouble right now. And whoever it is who told you to do this, they're not going to admit to their part in it. They're going to let you take the fall for all of it. Are you willing to die for this person? Because you know that's what's going to happen if the police get here and find that gun still in your hand."

"If I'm screwed either way, what's the point?"

"You've got a chance to do the right thing here, Chloe. You've got a chance to stop this. And you can help yourself by telling me who put you up to this. Who has you so scared that you're willing to kill for them? You've already killed people. Classmates. Someone's sons and daughters."

"No, I haven't. I just wounded them," she said. "He said I couldn't make it obvious that you were the targets. But I didn't want to kill anyone I didn't have to."

If she was telling Ezra all of this, there was no way he was making it out of there alive. Not with this information.

"You don't have to kill anyone at all," he tried. "You can stop this right now. And if you tell me who it was who told you to do this, I promise you, I will _not_ let him hurt you."

"I can't. No one will believe me."

"I'll believe you. I can see you're scared of someone, Chloe. And I know you're a good kid. You're smart. You have such amazing potential. I hate to see you throw it all away like this. It breaks my heart."

"Well, you won't have to see it for much longer," I heard the girl say.

"Chloe, no!" Ezra screamed.

I heard a struggle, and then a gunshot. He was dead. I knew it. He had to be dead.

"No!" I sobbed loudly, and tried to get up and run out there.

"Shh, Aria," Alexis whispered, hugging me tighter so I'd stay put. "Stay quiet."

I tried to fight her, but the rest of the girls who were hugging me tightened their hold too. And a few more joined them. They held me so tight I couldn't move a muscle. I didn't hear anything else for a little while, and my heart was at a standstill. I thought for a second that if Ezra was dead, I wanted to die with him. The thought of spending the rest of my life without him was too much to bear. But I quickly snapped out of it, realizing that whether he was dead or alive, Ezra would want me to keep myself safe. Not to do anything stupid.

The next thing I heard was a battering ram forcing Ezra's classroom door open. I couldn't tell how much time had passed.

"Chloe Johnson, you're under arrest for the unlawful possession of a firearm and attempted murder," I heard a policeman say. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you."

"Her gun," I heard Ezra say.

Oh, thank God. He was alive. As soon as we heard the police leave, the half dozen girls who had a hold on me let go and I sprang up, running out into the classroom. Ezra was sitting on the floor, still alive, but with blood on his shirt and taking loud, deep breaths. Like he was in pain.

"Ezra," I gasped, running up to him.

"Aria," he said, holding me tight and kissing my head.

"How bad is it? Where did she hit you?" I asked him.

"Nowhere," he said. "Look up."

I looked up and there was a hole in the ceiling where the bullet had gone. He'd obviously disarmed her and the gun had gone off into the ceiling in the process.

"You're bleeding," I said.

"No, I'm not," he told me, stroking my cheek. "It's not my blood. Chloe had blood on her. She must have cut herself coming in the broken window."

I wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to hit him and scream at him for risking his life like that. But try as I might, I couldn't muster any of those emotions. All I could feel was an all-consuming relief that he was alive and unharmed.

"You're so stupid," I sobbed. "Why would you do that? Why?"

"I had to keep you safe," he said softly. "It's what I do. It's what I've always done. And what I'll keep doing for the rest of my life."

"You're such an idiot," I sniffled.

Then I kissed him. I didn't even care that his entire class was watching us right now. And he returned the kiss with a passion that could have set this whole classroom on fire, so he clearly didn't care either.

"Ezra?" came Mr. White's voice over the intercom, interrupting our moment.

"Yes?" Ezra answered, not letting go of me or bothering to look at anyone else in his classroom.

"Everyone okay in there?" he asked.

"Well, you might be short an English teacher after spring break since I think Aria might kill me when we get home, but besides that, yes, we're fine," he said.

Mr. White chuckled over the intercom. "Aria, cut him some slack. He just did something pretty incredible. And Ezra, go ahead and escort the students out front. Their parents are waiting. Alexis, are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Alexis said.

"Bailey's asking for you before she goes to the hospital," he said. "Actually, demanding would be a better word. She's refusing to go anywhere until she sees you."

"No," I gasped quietly; Ezra tightened his embrace and kissed my head.

"Oh, my God," Alexis sobbed.

"Alexis, go," Ezra said. "Aria and I will meet you at the hospital as soon as we can."

Alexis ran out of the classroom like a bat out of hell.

"We'll be down in a minute, Mark," Ezra said, somehow remembering to stay professional in the middle of this utter insanity.

Ezra kept everyone together as he walked the class out to the front of the school. He kept a tight hold on my hand and didn't let me leave his side the entire time. I had a feeling that was how the entire weekend was going to be, which I wouldn't complain about at all.

When we got out to the front of the school, we were greeted by an unexpected but welcome sight. Becca, Kendra, Jordan, and Aiden were all there waiting for us. Even Aiden was crying.

"Aria!" Becca screamed.

Ezra let go of my hand, which told me it was okay to go to her.

"Becca!" I sobbed. I ran up to my friends and was immediately caught up in a group hug.

"Aria," Becca said again. "Thank God."

"Oh, my God," Jordan sobbed. "Aria. You're okay."

"I'm okay," I sniffled. "So is Ezra. But Bailey's on her way to the hospital. Alexis went with her."

"Don't scare us like that again," Kendra said.

"I didn't _want_ to," I said. "And if we're going to talk about people scaring people, I'm going to kill Ezra when we get home. He decided it was a good idea to play hero and disarm the shooter. I was hiding in his office so I couldn't see anything. I just heard a gun go off and then silence. I was so sure I was about to start planning a funeral instead of a wedding."

"Can I help?" Jordan said. "Idiot. Why would he do that?"

"He was trying to protect me and Alexis and the office full of kids. Somehow the shooter knew I was here today and threatened to kill me first if he didn't go out and talk to her. So of course he went out there."

"What an idiot," Aiden echoed his girlfriend. "Can I take a swing at him too?"

I chuckled. "Leave him in one piece when you're done. I am marrying him in a few months."

"Yeah, about that," he said. "I'm all about being your deejay. Sounds like fun. Call it my wedding gift."

"Thanks," I chuckled.

"Speaking of your idiot fiancé, where in the hell is he?" Kendra asked.

"What idiot fiancé?" Ezra chuckled, walking up to us.

"The one we're going to help Aria kill," Jordan teased as our friends caught him up in a group hug. "Way to give your girl a heart attack. Jeez."

Ezra chuckled a little as he let the group go. Then he pulled me into the tightest hug he'd ever given me and lifted me a foot into the air.

"You're so brave," he whispered so only I could hear. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I sniffled. "Don't ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he said, kissing my hair. "You're right. I'm an idiot. I should never have left you. I'm so sorry. Forgive me."

I pulled back a little and kissed him, pouring all the heartache and fear I'd been feeling the past several hours into it. He set me back down and caressed my face as he kissed me. He stopped for a brief second to catch his breath, but apparently it still wasn't enough for him because his lips were back on mine within a second. I couldn't tell how long we stood there making a very public display of our affection. But suddenly I remembered there was somewhere we needed to be.

"We should get to the hospital," I said quietly as I broke the kiss.

Ezra nodded, and I turned to our friends, who had turned their heads and were trying to be respectful. Letting us have our moment. Or our five minutes.

"Guys, we promised Alexis we would meet her at the hospital," I said. "You can come if you want."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think we'll pass. It seems like you two need some time alone," Jordan said.

"Yeah, go on and get out of here," Kendra told us. "Call us tomorrow."

I nodded and gave them each a hug.

"Thank you guys for being here," Ezra said. "Really. It means a lot."

"Where else would we be?" Becca said, like it was the most obvious thing.

I chuckled through my tears as I hugged her again.

"I love you, Becks," I said quietly.

"I love you too," she said. "We all do. Go. We'll see you tomorrow."

I turned back to Ezra, and he took my hand and led me around the back of the crowd of people. I couldn't understand why…until I saw all the news cameras. And of course he was trying to dodge them. Word had almost certainly gotten around that he was the one who disarmed the shooter. They'd want to interview him. And I knew he'd want no part of that. Not right now. One of his students, who had become one of our friends, was in the hospital right now. That was where we needed to be. Not talking to reporters.

As soon as we got to the faculty parking lot, he turned to me.

"Do you think Alexis will mind if we swing by the house first? I'd really like to change out of this shirt that has a student's blood on it," he said.

"I'm pretty sure she'll understand," I told him.

"Jesus," he said suddenly.

"What?" I asked.

"Some of it got on you too. When I hugged you," he told me.

"They're just clothes," I said.

"Who are you and what have you done with Aria Montgomery?" he laughed.

"I'm the girl whose fiancé could have died trying to be a hero. The girl who was scared to death that the most important person in her world was dead. And who thought for a split second that if you were dead, I wanted you to take me with you."

"Please don't say that," he said, stopping dead in his tracks and making me look at him. "For the love of God, don't say that. I don't want to think about a world where you don't exist, whether or not I'm part of it."

"I know," I told him, giving him a kiss. "It only took me a second to snap out of it. To realize that, no matter what, what you would want was for me to keep myself safe and live my life. But the thought of spending the rest of my life without you...it was too much to handle."

"I know," he agreed as he kissed me for what felt like the hundredth time. "Me too."

When we got to the house, I grabbed a garbage bag out of the kitchen before heading upstairs. I wasn't entirely sure what we were supposed to do with our blood-stained clothes. It felt too weird to just wash them and wear them again. I wasn't sure I _ever_ wanted to wear this dress again. The only thing that felt right was throwing them away. The thought of burning them crossed my mind, but I figured that was a little extreme.

"Is it considered destroying evidence if I throw this dress away?" I asked as I walked into the bedroom.

"Well, if it is, I'm going to be guilty of it too," Ezra said.

I looked at him and saw that he'd already taken his shirt off. Most of the time, I didn't even really notice his gunshot scar from that night in New York. I'd just gotten so used to it being there. But after today, after being so sure I'd lost him again, it stood out like a sore thumb.

I threw the garbage bag on the bed and walked over to him. He dropped the shirt he had in his hand and reached for me, pulling me as close as he could as he kissed me. If I'd thought the kiss in his classroom after I ran out of the office had passion…well, this one made it look like a little peck. Because now we were alone. It was just us, letting all of the emotions we'd felt during this hellish day out in this one connection.

Ezra slowly unzipped the back of my dress and pulled it over my head, dropping it on the floor. I gave him one more kiss before kissing my way down his chest and stomach. I paused when I got to his scar, just looking at it for a second, being reminded of one of the many times he'd saved my life. I choked back tears as memories of the horrors we'd endured today and on that night a year ago flooded my mind. And I planted a kiss there.

Before I could do anything else, he pulled me back up and kissed me again.

"Hey," he said quietly, stroking my cheek. "I'm right here. It's going to take a lot more than a bullet to keep me from you."

"I was so scared I'd lost you today," I told him, my voice catching.

"Never," he whispered, and his lips were on mine again.

He undid my bra in one swift motion, then slowly pulled it down my arms before picking me up and carrying me over to the bed. And as the rest of our clothes came off and it became almost impossible to tell where my body stopped and his began, I couldn't help but feel a newfound appreciation for this. Not the act of making love itself, but the connection that came with it. It wasn't just our bodies that were merged together into one. It was our hearts and souls, seeming to connect and join together in a newer, stronger way. There was something about this time that was different from any other time. It was like neither of us was taking the other for granted. Like we both realized how incredibly lucky we were to be here with each other right now.

Even though we both knew we had somewhere important to be, neither of us moved for a little while after we were done. I couldn't muster enough strength to make myself leave the comfort of his arms.

"We really do need to get to the hospital," Ezra said after about ten minutes, kissing my head. "Much as I want nothing more than just to be with you right now, our friends need us."

"I know," I sighed.

He kissed my head, then sighed and gently lifted me off his chest so he could sit up. I sighed too as I got up and put on some new clothes. Clothes that hadn't gotten a high school student's blood on them. And I went over and located the clothes I had been wearing earlier and threw them all away. Even my undergarments. I just couldn't imagine ever putting them on again. Ezra apparently felt the same way about his clothes, because he threw every last stitch of clothing he'd been wearing today in the bag too. I threw the bag with our contaminated clothes in the big trash can in the driveway before we left.

When we got to the hospital, Alexis and Jacob seemed so relieved to see friendly faces. And I knew we'd made the right decision coming here to be with them.

"Alexis," I breathed as I gave her a hug. "How is she?"

"We still don't know," she sniffled. "She's in surgery. She got shot in the shoulder. And she lost a lot of blood because she was one of the first people hit."

"I know this seems like a stupid question right now, but what happened to the custody hearing?" I asked.

"I called them while I was waiting for you guys outside," Jacob told me. "I got it rescheduled for next week. I'm just hoping they let Bailey out of here by then."

"Do we know if everyone survived?" Ezra asked.

"I guess one boy died from blood loss after being shot in the femoral artery," Alexis sighed. "But it was like that girl told you. She wasn't shooting to kill. Until she tried to kill you."

"She ended up not even trying to kill me," he sighed. "What made me try to take the gun when I did was that she turned it on herself."

"Someone had that girl scared for her life," I realized. "It seems like she would have rather died than have whoever it was who put her up to this know she'd failed or give up his name. I hope she gets the help she needs instead of just getting sent to juvie."

"I'm sure she will," Ezra told us. "None of you know this, but she has a history of mental health issues. She's been diagnosed as manic depressive. I'm sure she'll get sent to a treatment facility."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

He sighed. "She was in my honors class last semester. The one ninety-minute class I teach. And she'd be late on a pretty regular basis because she always had to go to the nurse and get her meds right after her lunch break, and a lot of times there was a wait. She had to take this medication three times a day, with meals, no skipping even a single dose."

"Do you think she went off her meds?" Jacob asked.

"It's possible," Ezra agreed. "It would certainly explain her snapping like that. And I can't think of anything else that would. She was very bright, honor roll every semester, didn't hang out with a bad crowd, nothing like that. And she was very driven and determined. Trying so hard to prove that she could do anything any of her fellow students could."

"Did she ever tell you who it was who put her up to this?" I asked.

"No. I tried to get her to tell me again after I took the gun, but she just kept repeating 'he'll kill me' over and over."

"Wait," Alexis said suddenly. "Do all of her teachers have access to that information? About her medical history and needing her meds like clockwork?"

"Somewhat," Ezra said. "I do have relevant information on all of my students. But they only provide me with the information I need. I wouldn't know about Chloe's meds if it hadn't interfered with my class."

I suddenly had a horrifying thought.

"Does Chloe strike you as the type to go off her meds? Or do her parents strike you as the type to let her?" I asked him.

"No. Why? What are you thinking?"

"If she didn't go off her meds knowingly, what if she didn't know she wasn't taking them anymore? Or at least that she wasn't taking them while she was at school?" I suggested.

"You mean you think someone switched out her meds?" he realized.

"Maybe. How secure is the medicine cabinet in the nurse's office?"

"It's not exactly Fort Knox. I could probably get in there if I was so inclined."

"So it's possible someone could have gotten in there and switched it out? Say, put something like aspirin in the bottle instead of whatever she was supposed to be taking?" I asked.

"It's possible," Ezra agreed. "Unlikely, but possible."

"An honor roll student who was managing her condition and taking her meds suddenly snapping and bringing her father's gun to school is unlikely," I pointed out. "Didn't I hear you say her dad is a cop?"

"Yeah. The chief of police, actually," Ezra said. "The gun looked like it was probably his service weapon."

"I think this begs the question, who's her new fourth period teacher?" Alexis said. "If we're operating on the theory that her meds got switched out and only teachers who would need to know have that information, that narrows our list of suspects down to exactly one person."

"And that one person is probably A," I realized.

"Or at the very least is working with A," Ezra agreed. "I'll talk to her dad if I can. I'd say he owes me one since I just saved his daughter's life while she was threatening to kill the most important person in mine." He kissed my head.

I chuckled. "Once he sees that you want her to get help, I'm sure he'll be willing to talk to you."

Someone who looked like a doctor walked out the double doors. All four of us stood up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Brooks?" he asked.

"Yes?" Alexis and Jacob said at the same time.

"How's Bailey?" Jacob asked.

"We were able to remove the bullet and repair the damaged soft tissue," he told them. "The most serious issue is that she has a fractured clavicle. And she did lose a lot of blood, so we had to give her a transfusion. But she should make a full recovery. She's a fighter."

"Yeah, she is," Alexis chuckled.

"She's still under anesthesia, but you can see her now," the doctor told them.

Ezra and I breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Bailey was going to be okay. Thank God.

"Guys, we really appreciate you coming, but you should go home and get some rest," Jacob said, turning towards us. "We'll call when they'll let you see her."

"I won't argue with you," I said. "It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has," Ezra agreed. "We'll see you soon."

We gave Alexis and Jacob hugs, then went back to where we both really wanted to be. Home, with no one else around. Where we could just be with each other and appreciate being together and being alive.


	24. Everybody's Playing the Game

Chapter Twenty-Four  
 _Everybody's Playing the Game (But Nobody's Rules Are the Same)_

 **Ezra**

Aria's phone buzzed and went unanswered. It was after ten-thirty in the morning, but she was still asleep (rare for her, even during the weekend). I'd decided to just let her sleep. I figured she'd earned it. She'd been to hell and back yesterday. We both had. Which was why I was still lying here in bed with her. After what we'd been through yesterday, I didn't want to leave her side if I didn't have to. Even if it meant just lying here and waiting for her to wake up.

My phone rang about a minute later, startling me out of the waking daze I'd been in. I checked and it was Alexis. I took a second to knock the cobwebs out of my head before answering it.

"Hello?" I answered quietly. I still sounded like I'd just woken up.

"Oh, my God, Ezra," Alexis said. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," I assured her. "I was awake. I can't say the same for Aria though."

"That's why she didn't answer her phone," she chuckled. "She's earned it though. I'm glad."

"Me too. We both had kind of a rough night," I admitted. "Unfortunately, our brains had to process what we went through somehow. And since we didn't want to do it consciously…"

"Oh, you weren't the only ones," she sighed. "I barely slept at all. Every time I closed my eyes I just kept hearing gunshots and kids screaming. Anyway, I called with good news. Bailey's awake. And she's up for some visitors if you guys want to come by."

"That is good news. Is there anything we can bring to cheer her up? I'm guessing she has an entire flower shop in her room already."

"You've got that right," Alexis chuckled. "And I'm allergic to pollen, so being in this room is awesome right now."

"I can imagine," I chuckled too. "That's rough. Anyway, what can we bring?"

"Honestly? How long can you guys stay when you come?"

"As long as you need us. Why?"

"Because what would really cheer her up is if Aria would bring her computer and maybe a chick flick or two. My computer died a couple of weeks ago and I haven't been able to replace it. So she's stuck with the crappy cable at the hospital. She's losing her mind already and it hasn't even been a full twenty-four hours."

"I can go one better than that," I told her. "I actually have a portable DVD player I never use. It's hers if she wants it. And I'll have Aria bring a couple of movies today. Will they let Bailey eat anything other than hospital food?"

"Well, she's diabetic, so we have to be a little careful, but I'll talk to the doctor and see what he says," she told me. "That's what her insulin is for."

"That's right. I knew that," I said, feeling like an idiot for forgetting that was in her student file.

"Right. Medical info on your students. I'm glad to see that you don't memorize every detail of the information you're given," she teased.

I laughed. "Probably because I've never needed to use the information I had about her. Anyway, I'm probably going to wake Aria up pretty soon. I'll text you when we're on our way there."

"Don't hurry on our account," Alexis told me.

"We won't," I promised. "We'll see you in a little while."

I hung up and turned to look at Aria, who was awake and looking at me like she was having trouble believing I was really here.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost eleven," I told her, kissing her forehead.

"Seriously? Why did you let me sleep so late?"

"I figured you'd earned it. You had a long day yesterday. And a rough night."

She didn't say anything in response. She just scooted closer to me. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her head. I still didn't understand how I'd ever found the strength to leave her in that office yesterday. Or why I'd done it. I didn't know what Chloe wouldn't have done if I had stayed in there. But something told me that she wouldn't have actually killed anyone. She wasn't committed to what she was doing. She was so scared, her hands were shaking as she was holding the gun. That wasn't the demeanor of someone who wanted to kill anyone. And then there was the fact that she'd turned the gun on herself instead of trying to do what whoever put her up to it had asked her to do: kill me, Aria, and Alexis.

Aria was right. I'd been such an idiot. All I'd heard was someone threatening her and I hadn't thought about anything except for protecting her, no matter what the cost. And while that might have been the heroic thing to do, what she needed wasn't a hero. What she needed was someone who was still breathing. Someone who didn't take stupid and unnecessary risks with his life. Someone she knew would always be there when she came home. She'd had enough unknowns in her life. What she needed now was someone she could count on to always be a constant.

"I love you," I said quietly.

"Mm," she mumbled. She clearly wasn't quite awake yet.

"You can go back to sleep," I told her. "It's okay. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"No, I can't," she sighed. "We have somewhere we have to be. I'm pretty sure I heard you volunteering me to watch movies with a teenage girl who's stuck in the hospital a couple of minutes ago."

"Whenever you're ready to go. And frankly, I wouldn't mind staying here a little longer," I sighed.

"We do need to get there and back by dinnertime," Aria said. "I also seem to remember inviting our friends over for dinner tonight. Or them inviting themselves. You know, us being alive and well. They seemed to think it called for a dinner party."

"I happen to agree with them," I told her.

"Who are you and what have you done with my fiancé?" she teased.

"The guy who made one of the stupidest decisions of his life yesterday," I sighed. "Who decided to try to be a hero instead of stopping to think about what you actually needed from me."

"And what's that?"

"For me to still be breathing, for one," I chuckled.

"Yes, that's definitely preferable," she said. "I imagine it's a little difficult to marry a corpse. Not quite sure of the legalities there."

"I'm pretty sure it's illegal. Which means you also need me not to take unnecessary risks so I can stay breathing."

"And when did you realize this?" she asked.

"The second I walked out of that office. The second it was too late to turn back."

"Look, Ezra," she sighed. "I know why you did what you did. It wasn't just for me. It was for all of those kids. Whether you realize it or not, I know you would have done anything to protect them. And I love you for that. But you've been the hero enough times. I don't want a hero. What I want and need now is you alive and here with me for the rest of our lives."

"I know," I told her. "And I will be. Always. I promise."

Aria kissed me, then sighed again.

"Okay, I'm going to go start the coffee. And I guess I need to grab some chick flicks to bring with us," she said.

"And I need to dig that portable DVD player out of the back of the closet. And see if I can find the cord for it so they can plug it in to the TV," I told her.

A couple of hours later, we got to the hospital armed with popcorn, movies, DVD player, and of course some books. I was, after all, the patient's English teacher.

"Hey, Bailey," Aria said as she walked in and gently hugged her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got shot. Oh, wait," she said.

Aria chuckled. "Well, your sister told us you've been bored out of your mind here."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I think we can help with that," I said, holding up the DVD player. "I never use this. So I figured I might as well give it to someone who needs it more than me."

"Oh, my God," she giggled. "You're a lifesaver."

"And I brought some reading material too," I told her. "Don't worry, nothing school-related. This is just for fun."

"I'm scared to ask what your definition of fun reading is, babe," Aria teased. "Bailey might end up reading _The Odyssey_ in the original Greek."

"Damn, I should have thought of that," I shot back. "Nope, I just brought some Tolkien."

"Okay, that's acceptable," Aria chuckled. "Tolkien actually is fun. Have you read _Lord of the Rings,_ Bailey?"

"Not yet, but I loved the movies," she said.

"Cheater," Aria teased. "The books are so much better. And you have to start with _The Hobbit_ or it won't make sense. But maybe when you're not quite so doped up on painkillers. For now, I brought one of my favorite feel-good movies. And some popcorn if they'll let you have it."

"Lex?" she asked.

"I cleared it with the doctor, Bee," Alexis told her. "We just have to call the nurse to give you a little extra insulin. Hopefully you guys brought enough to share?"

"No, we thought we'd keep it all to ourselves," Aria chuckled. "Of course we did."

"What movie did you bring?" Bailey asked.

" _Princess Bride_ ," Aria told her.

"I don't think I've ever actually seen that."

"Alexis!" Aria mock scolded. "You've failed as a big sister."

"I'm ashamed to tell you that time we watched it while I was living with you was the first time I ever saw it," Alexis laughed. "I had no idea what I was missing out on. You're going to love it, Bee."

"Let me see if I can hook this thing up to the TV so we don't all have to huddle around a tiny screen," I said. "Aria, I gave you the cord, right?"

"Yeah, here you go," Aria said, fishing it out of her purse.

"Wait, you're actually staying and watching it with us?" Bailey said. "I'd say you found a keeper, Aria."

We all laughed.

"Yeah, I think so too," Aria said. "Even when he's being an idiot."

"Oh, you mean like yesterday afternoon?" Alexis chuckled. "I was ready to kill him myself when he pulled that stunt."

"Yes, that would be what I was referring to," Aria sighed. "Or at least the most recent thing."

"Ouch," I chuckled.

"Face it, Ezra. You've earned it," Jacob said. "That was a pretty boneheaded move."

"Okay, I think we can let up on him now," Aria said. "He _did_ save a bunch of kids' lives."

"Yeah, by the way, you might want to avoid the main parking lot," Jacob told us. "Word's gotten around about what you did and everyone wants to interview you. And of course the press is camped out around the front of the building."

"I'm sure they do want to talk to me," I sighed. "But I have no interest in talking about what happened yesterday, especially not to a bunch of bloodthirsty reporters."

"They tried to interview me too," Bailey told us. "I told them no. Besides, I didn't even see who shot me. I didn't know who it was until after I woke up from surgery."

"Anyway, I think we can stop talking about this now," Aria said. "Today is supposed to be about distractions. So, movie and popcorn time. Once Ezra gets the DVD player hooked up."

"If I can get it hooked up," I said. "And even if I can, I'm not sure how we'd switch the TV over. We may all end up huddling around a seven-inch screen."

I ended up getting the DVD player working, and Bailey was thrilled to be able to watch something other than the hospital cable channels. She probably would have watched just about anything that wasn't reruns of _Seinfeld_ or _Law and Order_. But she seemed to enjoy the movie. And the company.

"I'm still saying, I want that guy to officiate our wedding," I teased Aria when the wedding scene with the ridiculous clergyman who couldn't enunciate came on.

Aria laughed. "Well, I wouldn't mind, but I think only a handful of people would appreciate it."

"Oh, come on, you at least have to have whoever does officiate it start off like that," Jacob chuckled. "It's classic."

We all laughed.

"Scary thing is, I can actually see Pastor Ted doing it," Aria giggled.

"Don't give Ezra any ideas," Alexis teased. "Aria just might show up to the ceremony and actually have it start off that way now. I can just see him going over the top for this wedding."

I gave her a look. She was a little close to spoiling the surprise I'd told her and the rest of Aria's friends about on Thursday. Which some might say was over the top. Okay, anyone would say it was over the top. I couldn't believe I'd actually managed to arrange it. But the hard part (and the main key to pulling it off) would be actually having everyone who was in on it keep a straight face until the right moment. Which included me. Keeping up a poker face was already one of the hardest things I'd ever done in my life, and I still had three months to go.

Alexis smiled; she wasn't going to say anything else.

Aria giggled again. "Oh, so can I. He's already gone over the top for the honeymoon."

"And here I thought booking a three-week honeymoon in Italy was completely normal," I chuckled, kissing her head.

"Not even close," Alexis laughed. "A few days in Lake Tahoe is normal. A three-week trip to Italy is insane. I'm jealous. There better be pictures."

"Um, I'm a photographer," Aria reminded her. "There'll be pictures."

My phone buzzed, and I checked it. And all of a sudden my fun and lighthearted afternoon with friends took a turn for the worse. It was a one-word message that sent a chill as cold as ice through my veins.

 _Check.  
-A_

"Babe, take a look at this," I said, trying to stay calm in front of Bailey.

Aria took my phone from me and looked at it. Then she turned to look at me.

"Really?" she sighed. "Wow."

"Well, if this is a game, then two can play it," I muttered.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked.

"Take a look at this," Aria told her, handing her my phone.

Alexis read it and shook her head.

"Your move," she sighed as she handed the phone back to me. "And it better be a good one. Because if that's not his idea of a checkmate, I'm scared to know what is."

"Look, let's finish the movie," I said. "Then we'll talk."

"Yeah, I had something else I wanted to ask you guys anyway," Alexis said.

As Alexis was walking us out to our car a little while later, she sighed.

"Thank you guys for today," she said, her voice catching a little. "I know it's only been a day, but it was so refreshing to see my sister smile. Really smile."

"You don't have to thank us," Aria said. "If there's anything else we can do, just ask."

"Actually, there is," she responded. "Um, it's killing me to say this, but I was wondering if you guys would mind taking care of Belle for a little while? Until Bailey gets home, we're going to be spending most of our time at the hospital, and that's not fair to Belle."

"I'm not sure you want to be asking Aria to do that," I teased. "You might not get your dog back."

Alexis chuckled. "It's because you guys love her so much that I'm asking you. You're the only people I'd trust with her. I know she'll get the love and attention she deserves. Of course, I'll pay for her dog food and treats and everything."

"We're happy to do it," I told her. "As long as you feel safe leaving her with us with A on the warpath."

"Yeah, what are you going to do about that?" she asked.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Chloe's dad. See who her new fourth period teacher is. And see if he's okay with me telling the press what she told me about why she brought his gun to school."

"What if you told him about A?" Aria suggested. "Maybe he can help us find this person. Or people. Since I'm almost positive this is more than one person."

"One step ahead of you," I told her. "If I'm talking to the press, I'm exposing this person for the coward he is. Someone who uses a sick teenage girl to do his dirty work doesn't get my respect or fear."

"The funny thing is one of these creeps told you they wanted to settle this like men when we left the house the day they tried to kill Belle," Aria chuckled. "This is what settling it like men looks like?"

Alexis and I both laughed. She had a point. This wasn't settling it like men. This was…I didn't even know what this was. And it actually gave me an idea. But it was something I'd have to talk to Aria about first. Because I wasn't about to make any other bold or dangerous moves without her being on board.

"If one of the men wants to act like a scared little boy," Alexis said.

"Well, he just woke a sleeping dragon," I said. "He has no idea what he's in for."

As soon as Aria and I got back home, Belle in tow, I sat down on the couch and sighed.

"Babe, there's something I need to talk to you about," I told her.

Aria came and sat next to me and almost immediately had a puppy in her lap. She smiled hugely as she scratched behind Belle's ears. I could tell she was happy to have Belle back in the house. I couldn't help smiling too. I loved seeing her like this.

"What is it?" she asked me.

"What you said in the parking garage, about this guy wanting to settle the score like men, it gave me an idea. But it might be dangerous. Really dangerous."

"You want to call him out. Tell him to come at you head-on," she said, not even sounding surprised.

"Yeah. I do. But I need to talk to Chloe's dad first. Tell him about A and arm myself with some information. Maybe even tell him about our theory about her pills getting switched out. Sorry, but you're not getting credit. I don't want him knowing I told anyone about his daughter's medical history."

"I understand that," she told me. "I don't care."

"Look, I'm not doing this if you're not on board," I said. "We're supposed to be partners, and I haven't been acting like it lately. I've just made dangerous decisions without you and expected you to go along with them. That stops now. I need your support if I'm doing this. I need to know you're okay with it."

"I'm not going to say that the thought of you challenging this guy, or guys, to a duel doesn't scare me," Aria said. "It does. It terrifies me. But we need to stop this somehow. We can't just let whoever is doing this keep attacking us and not do something about it. I hate to say this, but I don't think we have any other options."

"I don't either," I sighed. "I'm scared too, but I don't think there's another way."

I'd never felt more awkward than I did looking up Chief Johnson's phone number in the phone book and dialing it. I was sure I was the last person on earth he wanted to talk to right now. He wouldn't know how much my heart was breaking for his daughter. How much I wanted her to get help. He wouldn't realize that I didn't blame her for what she'd done.

"Hello?" he answered. He sounded like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Chief Johnson," I sighed. "This is Ezra Fitz. Please don't hang up. I need to talk to you."

"Why are you calling here, Mr. Fitz?" he asked me. "Calling to torture me some more over what my daughter did in your classroom? You don't think I feel awful enough about it?"

"No, sir," I assured him. "But I did want to talk to you about it. I need you to know that I don't blame her for what she did."

"Why not? Everyone else does."

"Because I know someone put her up to it. And I think they may have even switched out her medication in the nurse's office to make sure she wasn't herself. Make it so it was easier to manipulate her."

"How do you know she's even on medication?" he asked.

"It interfered with my class. She came to my class right after her lunch break, and since she had to go to the nurse to get her meds and there was usually a wait, she was almost always late. So I was told about it. Teachers are only given the information they need about their students."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need your help. The person who did this, who put Chloe up to doing what she did, they're trying to hurt me and my fiancée. They have been for this entire semester, anonymously. And they used Chloe to try to do their dirty work. My fiancée and another good friend of mine were at the school with me yesterday, talking to my students. Chloe told me herself that this person told her they would kill her if she didn't bring your gun to school and kill me, my fiancée, and my friend. She wasn't shooting to kill anyone else. And in the end, Chloe turned the gun on herself rather than trying to do what the person wanted. That was why I took it from her when I did. I was trying to save her life."

"My God. I…I don't even know what to say," Chief Johnson said.

"Say you'll help me stop this person," I told him. "Say you'll help stop this from happening to someone else's son or daughter."

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Can you tell me what class she has during fourth period now?" I asked him. "The person who teaches that class would be the only person who would know about her medication."

"Honors Anatomy. With Roger Kahn."

Kahn? I knew enough about things like this that I never assumed anything was a coincidence anymore. So this guy had to be related to Noel Kahn. And Noel hated Aria and her friends. But mostly Aria, because he thought she'd led him on and then he found out that she was sneaking around seeing me instead. And because I hadn't fallen for his attempts to blackmail me into giving him a good grade. I was sure Noel hadn't had any idea how far his relative was willing to take his grudge against me, but he would have been all too willing to sing like a canary if he was asked for any information on me. He would have been able to tell his relative about Aria and I's relationship, about how using the persona of A would scare us and trigger an almost PTSD-like response in us. He would have been able to tell this person things that weren't in any newspaper article.

"Thank you," I told him. "That last name is familiar to me. I think he may be related to one of my old students from Pennsylvania."

"Do you think his connection to that student is what made him do this?" he asked me. "What made him scare my daughter so badly that she was willing to bring my gun to school and start shooting fellow students?"

"It might have contributed to it, but I think there's a far more disturbing reason," I sighed. "Has Chloe been acting withdrawn lately? Acting out? Failing classes? Anything like that?"

"She's definitely been more withdrawn and she's starting to do worse in her classes, but she is manic depressive. And if her teacher did switch her meds and the dosage was off, that would explain her recent behavior issues."

"Do you know what else those things are an indicator of?" I pressed.

He was silent for a moment before responding.

"Jesus Christ," he gasped. "You think this teacher was abusing her."

"I think there are quite a few teachers, and maybe some members of the administration, at that school who are abusing their students," I told him. "Todd Yancey and Adam Fisher were only the tip of the iceberg. I've been pretty vocal about how much what they did disgusts me. I was actually the one who made the call to CPS that got Mr. Fisher arrested. And the reason my fiancée and my friend were at the school yesterday talking to my students is because they've both been through similar things. They were trying to encourage students to speak out if someone is hurting them. I have to think that Roger Kahn, and maybe some of the other people involved, found out about that somehow and used your daughter to try to shut me and them up."

"So word wouldn't spread to students that there are teachers in that school that they can trust," Chief Johnson realized. "Because if no students speak out, the teachers don't get caught."

"I think Chloe was unfortunate collateral damage to Mr. Kahn. He realized that by switching out her meds, it would be easy to manipulate her and scare her into doing whatever he wanted. Even kill or wound people."

"Using her to do his dirty work," he finished. "What a coward."

"Listen, the press has been following me around like paparazzi," I told him. "I guess word has gotten around about the fact that I was the one who stopped her. And I want to send the people who arranged this a message. Tell them that I'm not backing down. I want them to know that I know they were using Chloe. But you're her father, and I don't want to do that without your approval."

"What if I facilitate it? Call a press conference? Tell the press that the man who disarmed my daughter has come forward and is willing to talk? Then the floor is yours. It'll be on every news network, so it's guaranteed that this guy will see it."

"I'd appreciate that. I don't know what evidence you have other than my gut instinct, but can you get a warrant to get her meds from the nurse's office? Have them tested and see if they are the meds she's supposed to be taking?" I asked.

"I don't need a warrant," he told me. "I'm her father. I can just ask for her medication back from the nurse. And I'll have a lab technician test them as a personal favor."

"How can you do that now? It's spring break. The school is closed. And after what happened, I don't know how long it'll stay closed."

"I'll figure that part out. Don't worry about that. Can you come down to the station on Monday afternoon? I'll call a press conference, and it'll be on the five o'clock news."

"Absolutely," I told him. "Is three-thirty okay? My fiancée has class until three, and I'd like her to come with me. I don't want to do this without her there."

"It's perfect," Chief Johnson said. "I'll see you then. Thank you for reaching out. I know it can't have been easy."

"It wasn't, but it was the right thing to do," I replied. "I'll see you on Monday."

As soon as I hung up with him, I walked into the kitchen, where Aria had started cooking dinner. Our friends were going to be here in an hour. I'd invited the Whites to join us too, which was convenient since I wanted to fill Mr. White in on everything that had happened yesterday. He didn't know the whole story yet.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked.

"No, I've got it covered," Aria said. "So where are we going on Monday after I get out of class?"

"To the police station for a press conference Chloe's father is arranging. I'm going to make a statement about what happened in my classroom. Everything that happened."

"Including the fact that you know Chloe was manipulated into it," she sighed.

"Yep. And there's more. I think I know where these people are getting their information from. How they even knew to look for the articles about you and your friends in the first place," I told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Chloe's new fourth period teacher? His name is Roger Kahn."

"Noel," she gasped. "Do you think he knows?"

"That his relative is a pedophile who abuses his students? And that he was going to try to kill us? No. But I do think that if someone Noel knew called him up and started asking questions about either of us, he would have been all too willing to sing like a canary. I don't think he would have actually wanted to be a party to people getting physically hurt, but he would have loved the idea of making our lives difficult."

"Yeah, you're right. He doesn't have the stomach to physically hurt anyone, or even have a part in it at all," Aria agreed. "But he definitely would have loved the thought of making us squirm."

"I want you standing up there with me," I told her. "Not at the microphone if you don't want to be, but at least there. I'm almost positive this is going to make the A team respond immediately. And I know you don't want me being a hero, but if someone tries to hurt you, I'm not going to sit back and let them."

"I know you're not," she said. "God, this scares me. It feels like we need to be more prepared for A to actually come at you, or at me for that matter, if we do this. I'm at school this week. You're not. What's to stop one of them from coming to campus and trying something there? And I don't even know what most of these guys look like. Any of them, really. The one I did see was in almost pitch dark. I couldn't pick the guy out of a lineup. So I wouldn't even know who to avoid if I see them."

"Damn it," I muttered. "I didn't even think about that. Maybe I should hold off on doing this. Wait until Jenkins starts classes back up again."

"No. You need to do this while the media is still covering it and there's hype surrounding it. But we need to have some sort of plan."

I thought for a second. What in the hell was a plan for this? Barring actually going to campus with her and waiting outside her classroom doors, I didn't really have any idea of what I could do to ensure she was safe at school. But she would _hate_ that idea. She'd feel smothered, and she wouldn't be wrong feeling that way. And it was too close to the end of the school year for me to suggest her staying out of school until we got this sorted out. At this rate, she'd probably end up having to withdraw failing from all of her classes and then end up having to repeat this semester. And doing that would cost her her scholarship.

"Is it too much for me to ask you to call me after every class and stay on the phone with me until you get to the next one?" I asked. "My gut instinct is to go to campus with you, but I know that's taking it a little too far. I don't want to smother you, but I do need to know you're safe at school."

She chuckled. "No, it's not too much. I can do that. Matter of fact, I can go one better. I'll Skype you. So you can actually see me and know I'm okay. And I'll come back home for lunch. I have at least an hour between my morning and afternoon classes every day, so I've got plenty of time to get here and back again."

I kissed her. "Thank you. So, seriously, what can I do to help you?"

"Seriously, nothing. I've got it covered," Aria said. "Really."

While I was talking with Mr. White after dinner, he asked me if he could participate in the press conference too, as long as Chief Johnson was okay with it. He wanted to make a statement, to make it perfectly clear that his number one priority was to find the teachers who were involved with this plan and make sure justice was served to the fullest extent of the law. And to make sure they never ended up anywhere near a student again. He suggested dropping the names we already knew: David Schneider, Tim Sharp, Walter Reid, and Roger Kahn. But I told him that without hard evidence, it might be a little premature. And that I didn't want to provoke these guys too much and end up having them try to hurt me or Aria; I just wanted to scare them and tell them that if they wanted a piece of me to come at me head-on instead of using sick teenage girls to do their dirty work. After I put it that way, he agreed.

On Monday afternoon, Chief Johnson was all too willing to have Mr. White make a statement at the press conference too. He was fine with Aria standing up there with me, too. He said it would even create some sympathy if people could see us together. Aria was still all nerves about this, which was doing nothing to assure me that I was doing the right thing. She assured me that I was, but that she was just nervous.

At exactly four o'clock, an hour before the news was going to air, we were all standing up on a stage, and Chief Johnson walked up to a podium with four different microphones on it. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Thank you all for coming today," he started. "This is a very difficult press conference for me, because the event that happened on Friday at Jenkins High School has affected me personally. Many of you know that it was my daughter, Chloe Johnson, who brought a gun to school and shot several classmates, killing one of them. I've been…distraught, to say the least, to know that my daughter was capable of such a horrific act. But some new information about the events that took place that day has come to light, and two members of the Jenkins High School faculty have agreed to speak with you about it.

"I want you all to understand something before I let the principal of Jenkins High School, Mark White, and the teacher who disarmed my daughter, Ezra Fitz, make their statements. It's a crucial piece of information surrounding this case, and it disturbs me greatly to have found this out. We like to think school is a safe place for our children. That while they're there under the care of the teachers and administration, nothing bad can happen to them. But I've recently found out that it was teachers and administration who drove my daughter to this. They used information about her medical history that my wife and I entrusted them with to abuse her and figure out ways to manipulate her.

"My daughter Chloe has been clinically diagnosed with manic depression. She has medication that she has to take religiously, three times a day, with meals. The teacher who taught the class she took right after her lunch period was made aware of this, because she was often late to his class due to needing to go to the school nurse to have her medication administered after she ate lunch. After speaking with my daughter after she was arrested, I learned that this teacher began molesting her, using her desire to do well in school and prove that she was capable of anything her classmates were capable of to manipulate her. And as if that wasn't enough, I obtained a warrant to get into the nurse's office today and get my daughter's medication out of the medicine cabinet. Our lab technicians here at the Savannah Police Department tested the medication that was in her prescription bottle and found that it was not her normal medication, but aspirin, that she had been taking after her lunch period. Someone, and I can only guess at who, had actually switched out my daughter's medication to alter the dosage she was taking. Without taking her medication in the proper dosage, she was more easily manipulated, and much more easily able to be threatened into doing whatever someone wanted. Even bringing my gun to school and shooting classmates to hide someone's real goal: to kill one of the teachers in that school and his fiancée, who happened to be at the school with him that day.

"I can't change what my daughter did, and I know that she needs to answer for her crimes, but I do want to make it very clear that the Savannah Police Department is making it a top priority to find the people who attempted to use a mentally ill teenage girl to carry out a personal vendetta. To elaborate more on this, I would like to turn this over to the principal of Jenkins High School, Mark White."

He turned to face Mr. White, and Mr. White took a deep breath before walking up to the podium.

"I'm no good at this sort of thing," he started. "When I got into education, I did so with the desire to help kids succeed in this world. To give them the tools they would need to go on and do whatever they set their minds to. As a principal, it is my fervent desire to see every one of the students in my school walk across the stage in a cap and gown and receive a diploma after four years, and know that they have been well prepared for college, or the work force, or whatever they decide to do in life. I try to hire people, administration and teachers, who I believe share these same desires. Who are passionate about education and about their students. Who care about every single one of the students at Jenkins High School as much as I do. And I thought I was doing well in this endeavor.

"At the very beginning of this year, I found out that I was not doing quite as well as I thought. One of the teachers in the English department at Jenkins High School was arrested after being found in a hotel room with a student. That broke my heart to hear, but unfortunately, it was far from the end of my worries. Because about a month ago, a teacher in the science department was arrested for molesting his own daughter, who is a student at the school. When I, with the help of a couple of the teachers at the school that I trust, tried to hold an assembly to speak out against what was happening in our school and to encourage students to come forward if something was happening to them, it was cancelled abruptly due to a threatening message that several members of the staff at the high school used students to deliver to one of the teachers who had helped to organize the assembly. And in the middle of questioning the students and attempting to find out who had done this, something happened to that teacher's fiancée, who we had brought to the school for her protection. She almost died at the hands of a group of faculty members who were trying to remove suspicion from themselves by attempting to cast doubt on one of the finest educators I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

"I thought it was over after that. I thought for sure that people on my staff almost killing a remarkably strong and brave young woman who came to Savannah with her fiancé looking for a fresh start was as bad as it could get. I swore to myself that I would find the people who were responsible for this, and that I would make sure they were punished to the full extent of the law. And I tried to find them. I talked to students and teachers, and I questioned those I suspected of taking part in this. But I never could find them. Apparently I got too close to discovering the truth for their comfort, though, because one of them manipulated a young girl into terrorizing the school with a weapon just to try to stop the questions. I'd watched all of the school shootings on the news and thought to myself, 'Thank God I'll never have to deal with anything like that in my school.' Except that I did. I didn't know the connection that Friday's events had to the other events that have taken place at Jenkins High School this year until I spoke with the teacher who very bravely talked Miss Johnson down and took her weapon from her.

"Before I turn this over to the person I'm sure you all really want to hear from today, I just want to let all of you know that I will not rest until I find every single member of my staff who has taken part in this horrific event. Until I expose every single person I've entrusted with my students' safety and well-being who has violated that trust by hurting the students they were supposed to be helping. If I have to hire an entirely new staff, that is what I'll do. Because my first priority is the safety of every single child who walks through the doors of Jenkins High School. And now I'm going to turn this over to someone I know shares that priority, the teacher who saved the lives of his students by taking Chloe Johnson's gun from her, Mr. Ezra Fitz."

I took a deep breath and turned to look at Aria, trying to make sure she was still okay with this. She smiled at me, and I kissed her hand before heading up to the podium.

"Break a leg," I heard Aria whisper as I walked away.

I looked back to see Mr. White putting a comforting hand on Aria's shoulder. That calmed my nerves a little. I was glad he'd come today. I was glad to know I had someone else here who was on my side. Who wanted to protect my fiancée almost as much as I did.

"Look," I started. "I know what you all want me to talk about today. And rest assured, I will, but I feel that I need to give some background information before I do. I need to make myself completely clear. For this entire semester, I have had someone harass me anonymously and threaten my safety and the safety of someone I care more about than they could possibly know or understand. They think they know everything about me based on one fact they've found out about me. A fact that they've warped and twisted to try to make what they're doing to me and to other people okay. But they've gotten it dangerously wrong. I want you all to hear the truth. And I want you to hear it directly from me. Maybe it will change your opinion of me, but I don't care. Because it has everything to do with what took place in my classroom on Friday afternoon.

"The fact that my fellow teachers have discovered about me is…unconventional, to say the least. Possibly controversial. And I can sum it up for you in one sentence. I am engaged to a former student of mine. Telling you about my history with my fiancée and how we came to be engaged would take far longer than we have today. But what's important for you to understand is that I love and care about her more than you can possibly imagine. I've almost died more than once trying to protect her from people who wanted to hurt her, and I have the scars to prove it. I asked her to marry me and moved here to Savannah with her after she graduated high school because I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. Despite our age difference, we have always loved and respected each other as equals, as partners. It's only with her full support that I'm standing up here and telling you this today.

"I've come to find out through investigation and with the help of some friends, including Principal White, that the people who are trying to hurt me and the woman I love are also hurting students at Jenkins High School. And they think that they can use my history with my fiancée to make what they're doing to these young girls okay. They can't. It's not okay. And I will not stop speaking out against what is happening to the students at Jenkins High School. Teachers are supposed to protect their students, to shelter them, to help them succeed. And students are supposed to be able to trust their teachers. I will not stop trying to expose the teachers who are violating that trust and hurting the students they're supposed to be protecting.

"On Friday afternoon, after shooting several students who were trying to eat their lunch in the courtyard of Jenkins High School, a student who was in my honors class last semester, Chloe Johnson, shot a bullet through the window of my classroom and got me to come out of my office, where I was sitting with a class full of students, my fiancée, and another good friend, by threatening to come into the office and kill people, starting with my fiancée, if I didn't do what she wanted. What I found when I walked out of my office and into my classroom wasn't a girl who was hell-bent on killing people. It was a scared young girl whose hands were shaking as she pointed her gun at me. She told me that one of her teachers had threatened to kill her if she didn't bring her father's gun to school and kill me, my fiancée, and our friend who was there with us, along with some other people to hide the fact that we were the true targets. I tried to get her to reveal the name of this teacher, the person who had her so scared that she was willing to kill for them. She never did tell me. She was terrified for her life. She did tell me that she didn't want to kill anyone she didn't have to, and the shots that she'd taken in the courtyard were meant to wound, not kill. I told her that she didn't have to kill anyone at all, and that if she would just tell me the name of the person who had her so terrified for her life, I would not let him hurt her. Instead of telling me his name, she stopped pointing the gun at me and instead held it to her own head. She would rather have died than just speak a name. So I wrestled with her for the gun, and it went off into the ceiling as I was taking it from her. I threw her gun across the room and restrained her until the police came to arrest her. I don't blame Chloe for what she did in the slightest. I truly hope that she gets the help she needs and that she's able to go on and do great things with her life. She has amazing potential, and I would love nothing more than to see her realize it.

"I am working tirelessly with Principal White and with the Savannah Police to find and expose all of these cowards. The people who are too scared to fight their own battles, and instead are trying to use teenagers to do their dirty work for them. Offering immunity from punishment or extra credit for participating in sending a threatening message in the middle of an assembly. Switching out a sick girl's medication for aspirin so they could more easily manipulate her into shooting up the school for them. All to hide the fact that they're abusing the children they're supposed to be helping. They think that by sending me anonymous messages and threatening me and the people I care about, they can get me to back off, to stop fighting for the safety and well-being of my students. They're sadly mistaken. The only thing they've done is woken a sleeping dragon. No one threatens my life or the lives of my students and my friends, and especially not the life of the woman I love more than life itself. With Chief Johnson's permission, I would now like to speak directly to these people. The next time you want to fight me, have the courage to do it yourself. You told me about a month ago in an anonymous message that you wanted to settle this like men. So let's do just that. If you're all man enough to fight your own battles instead of having someone else do it for you. I'll be waiting."

Before anyone could ask me any questions about anything I'd just said, I turned back around to go stand next to Aria, who looked happy and proud, but scared.

"Mic drop," she whispered.

I chuckled and kissed her head. Then I pulled out my cell phone, pulled up the anonymous A texts I'd saved, and typed my first-ever response to them.

 _Checkmate._


	25. Endgame

Chapter Twenty-Five  
 _Endgame_

 **Aria**

I felt so awkward as I connected my Bluetooth earpiece to my phone and hit the button to Skype Ezra. I didn't realize how ridiculous this would feel, video chatting with him on the way to all of my classes. I got it. Really, I did. I understood completely. Ezra had just publicly called out everyone who was threatening us. And he needed to know I was safe while I was here at school. I knew it had probably taken everything in him not to insist on coming here with me. This was an acceptable compromise. But I'd turned into _that_ person. The person who walked around talking to someone no one else could see.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hey," I said. "I'm still alive."

He laughed a little. "Good. But you're only one class into your first day back at school."

"Yeah, I know. Becca's here with me though. We're in history together."

"Hey, Ezra," she said.

"Hi, Becca," he chuckled.

"He says hi," I told her, then turned back to the screen. "I'm on Bluetooth. I don't want to be the person who lets the entire world hear her Skype conversation."

"You mean you're actually a considerate human being? Who'd have thought?" he teased.

"Hey," I laughed. "Watch it."

"You kind of walked into that."

"Yeah, I know. Well, anyway, my next class is literally right down the hall. I'm already here, so I'll talk to you soon," I said, stopping outside the door of my math class.

"Okay," he sighed. "Thank you for doing this. I know it's a little extreme."

"No, it's not," I told him. "I get it. And I'm good with it. Really. But I have to go before I'm late. I don't have long between these two classes."

He smiled. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too," I said, then disconnected and walked into my class.

I made it through the day, going home for lunch just like I'd promised I would, and got back home in one piece. Ezra looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders when I walked in the door. And there was a very excited puppy there to greet me too.

"Hey," I said, bending down to pet Belle. "You look like you've been sitting here wringing your hands together for the entire day."

"No, only for half of it," Ezra chuckled as he walked up and gave me a kiss. "Hi."

"Look, if tomorrow goes okay, can we maybe downgrade to a phone call?" I asked as I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. "I feel like such a jerk walking around staring at my phone all day."

"I suggested a phone call in the first place," he reminded me. "Skype was your idea."

"Oh, yeah," I giggled.

"So, how much homework do you have?"

"A ton," I sighed. "I'm going to start a pot of coffee and get started on it in a minute."

Ezra kissed me again, and I just leaned back against him. Today had been stressful. Skyping with him between classes had kept the fact that we were on the defensive from a group of pedophiles and rapists who were threatening us so they could keep their identities hidden at the forefront of my mind. Not exactly helpful for trying to relax.

"You okay?" he asked me after a minute or so.

"Oh, you know, trying to keep myself from getting hurt by a bunch of psychos. Must be Tuesday," I said.

"You know, it's times like now when I wish we could just move somewhere else," he sighed. "But I know that's not an option. For a lot of reasons."

"I've never been the type to run away," I reminded him. "And we've started to build a life for ourselves here. We have friends here. You have a job here. And we own a house here. Well, you own a house here. My name's not on the deed."

"Actually, it is," he chuckled. "And I wouldn't be worried about selling it if it weren't for the other things you mentioned. Mainly our friends. Or, more specifically, your friends. I'd be fine trying to get a job somewhere else, but I don't want to make you leave your friends. Not to mention that it's usually pretty hard to get credits from a liberal arts college transferred anywhere else. Or a scholarship."

"Do you ever think of yourself?"

"Nope. Not since you came into my life. You're the most important thing in the world to me. And I'll always do what's best for you, no matter what that means for me."

"I'm not sure if that's sweet or obsessive," I teased.

He laughed. "Maybe it's a little obsessive."

"Okay, let me up," I said. "I really do need to get started on my homework if I want to get to bed before midnight tonight."

"I'll start the coffee," he said, kissing my head before letting go of me.

Over the weekend, Ezra and I went to Alexis's house to bring Belle back home and see Bailey, since she had been released on Friday.

"Thank you guys again for taking care of Belle. So, I hear they're closing the school for an extra week," Alexis said.

"Yes, they are," Ezra sighed. "I'm not sure whether or not to be glad about that. I mean, I'm glad they're implementing new security measures, but we've gone a week with radio silence from A and now this just gives whoever is involved in that more time to come up with something else to hurt us."

"What else could they possibly do?" Jacob asked.

"I hate to say this, but they didn't accomplish their goal," I pointed out. "If they had, we'd be dead right now. So what's to keep them from trying again? Especially after Ezra called them out on the five o'clock news?"

"And Aria still has to go to school. I can't be there to protect her. She's been Skyping with me between classes and coming home for lunch, but that's really not going to stop anyone from hurting her if they were so inclined," Ezra pointed out.

"Yeah, it just means you know about it right away and can call the police immediately if it does happen," Alexis sighed. "Short of having the police escort her to and from school, there's really not a lot that can be done."

"We actually talked to the chief about that," I told them. "And unfortunately, they just don't have the manpower for it. He felt horrible about it given what Ezra did for his daughter, but his hands were tied."

"That's horrible," Jacob said. "But understandable, I guess. He only has so much power."

"Well, at least the extra week means Bailey won't miss too much school," Alexis said. "She's on doctor's orders to rest for another two weeks, so she should only miss a week if things keep going well for her."

"That's good news," Ezra agreed. "Especially this time of year. She'll have to do quite a bit of catching up. Everyone's piling on the work since there's only a month left."

"Which is why I can't afford to miss school right now either," I sighed.

"This would be a whole lot easier if you could," Jacob agreed. "It scares me thinking of someone just going onto that campus and no one realizing that he doesn't belong until it's too late."

I realized he was right. Savannah College of Art and Design wasn't exactly Fort Knox. Matter of fact, it wasn't secure at all. Anyone could just mosey onto campus and no one would be the wiser. Yeah, if someone thought a person didn't belong, they could always ask to see the person's school ID (which both students and faculty had) and call campus police if the person didn't produce one, but what good would that really do? By the time campus police got there, the trespasser would probably be long gone.

I was on Skype with Ezra the next Wednesday when Jacob's fear was realized. I saw someone being stopped by a professor and being asked to produce their school identification. The person didn't have an ID, and the teacher pulled out his cell phone to call campus police. Before the call could even be made, the person who was trespassing on school property jabbed the professor in the throat and ran away.

"Ezra, I think someone's on campus," I said quietly. "Someone who shouldn't be here. A professor just asked a guy I've never seen before to show his school ID and he didn't have one. Guy jabbed the professor in the throat before he could call campus police."

"Get into the nearest building," he said urgently. "Now. The more people there are around you, the better. I'm on my way there. Can you tell me anything about what this person looked like?"

"Um, he was probably in his mid-forties. About your height. White. Dark hair. That's all I could tell from where I was," I told him as I walked towards the practical arts building. "Look, Mr. Sawyer's classroom isn't too far from me. I'll head there. I trust him."

"I have to put the phone down so I can drive, but I want you to keep talking to me," Ezra said. "Please."

"What do you want me to say?" I teased.

He chuckled tensely. "Anything. I just need to know you're still there."

"I'm here. I'm almost to the practical arts building."

And then someone grabbed me from behind and took my phone from me.

"Ezra, call the police!" I yelled as the person was dropping my phone on the ground and stepping on it.

"Your precious Ezra will never find you in time," I heard a man say right into my ear. "You're not getting away so easily this time. You fought Kevin, but you can fight off all six of us."

"Watch me," I said, trying to keep my voice even, not to show any fear.

"Noel told me you were a feisty one," he said, chuckling sinisterly.

I thought about fighting this guy. But even not being able to see him, I could tell he was a lot bigger and stronger than Mr. Thomas had been. It had taken everything in me to fight Mr. Thomas. There was no way I could win a fight with this guy. Not like this.

Also, I realized, he'd said I couldn't fight off all six of them. Which meant everyone who was involved in this had decided to band together to hurt me. Now it was my turn to do something dangerous that Ezra could yell at me later for. If I went with him, if I let them take me, the police could catch all of them committing a crime. I could end this and stop them from hurting any more young girls. Once we got to wherever we were going, I would put up the fight of a lifetime. I'd hold them off until Ezra and the police found us. And then they would all go down for kidnapping and attempted rape. So I made the stupidest decision I could possibly make. I decided to go with him willingly.

"Apparently that's a common consensus among men who make unwanted advances towards me," I said as the man held my arms behind me and forced me to walk forward. "How do you know Noel?"

"You don't get to ask the questions, you little bitch," the man spat, literally spitting in my hair.

"I'm going with you. I'm not fighting you. And I'm guessing I'm not going to make it out of this alive. So the least you can do is answer a simple question for me. How do you know one of my classmates from Pennsylvania?" I said, impressed that I was able to keep my terror out of my voice.

"Fine. Noel is my nephew," the man said.

I realized this must be Roger Kahn. The one who had switched out Chloe Johnson's meds. And probably the ringleader of this whole operation.

"Well, Mr. Kahn, I'm going to guess that Noel had absolutely no idea what you were planning when he told you about me and Ezra," I said, my voice catching for the first time. "Noel likes to cause trouble, but he doesn't have the stomach for any real violence."

"Oh, he has no idea what I'm going to do to you," Mr. Kahn said. "What we're going to do to you. We're going to send that fiancé of yours a message he'll never forget. And that starts with shutting you up so you don't scream."

And then there was a piece of duct tape over my mouth. The man continued to walk me forward and forced me into a black van with tinted windows. There were four other men in the back of the van, and one person was driving. And as the chemicals made their way into my damaged lungs, I started getting lightheaded. I was going to pass out soon. Maybe that was for the best. I wouldn't know what was happening to me. Maybe I'd just never wake up. If I had to die today, that seemed like the best way.

"Okay, we've got the bitch," I vaguely heard Mr. Kahn saying.

"So should we start on her now or wait until we get there?" someone else asked.

"Oh, what does it matter? We're going to send Fitz a message he'll never forget," I heard, but it sounded like it was far away.

"So who gets to do her first?" someone else asked, sounding even farther away.

Someone unzipped their pants. And then I passed out with fire in my lungs.

#######################

"There's nothing to do but wait at this point, Mr. Fitz," I heard someone saying. "Your fiancée shouldn't even be alive right now. Her lungs were so badly damaged from the smoke she was exposed to last year that the duct tape chemicals should have killed her. But she's breathing on her own and her brain scan showed activity. She was responding to stimuli. Which means she's not a vegetable."

"How long until she'll wake up?" Ezra asked. He was obviously crying.

"There's no way to know," the other man (probably a doctor, I realized) told him. "It could be a couple of days, a couple of weeks, months, or years. If ever. And if she does wake up, there's no telling what kind of damage her brain might have suffered. She might have memory loss, or loss of motor functions, or any other number of things. She may or may not remember you. You should be prepared for that."

I'd never forget him. Ever. No matter what. I couldn't forget the man I loved more than life itself. He had to know that.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ezra said, his voice breaking.

"Talk to her," the doctor said. "It's true what they say. Hearing loved ones' voices _is_ often what brings people back to consciousness. If the girl you love is still in there, hearing your voice might help her come back."

I tried to open my eyes, but it was like there were weights attached to them. They wouldn't open. I felt Ezra's hands holding mine, and I tried to squeeze my hand or even move a finger, do something to let him know that I was still in here and that I knew he was here with me, but everything was just so…heavy. I couldn't move a muscle. And then I was out again.

#######################

"Wake up, babe," I heard Ezra sniffling. "Please wake up. Come back to me. Don't leave me. Not like this."

I tried to come back to him. I tried so hard. I tried to squeeze his hand, to open my eyes, to move a finger, to say something. But I still couldn't. Everything was still too heavy.

#######################

"Can she hear us?" Becca was asking.

"I like to think so," Ezra said hoarsely. He wasn't crying anymore. He was probably out of tears to cry.

"Come back to us, Aria," Jordan sniffled. She was touching my other hand. The one Ezra wasn't holding. "I know you can hear me. I know you're still in there. We're all here. And we're not going anywhere. No matter how long it takes."

No. They couldn't sacrifice their grades for me. Ezra couldn't sacrifice his job. How long had I even been in this limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness? I had no idea. It felt like forever and only a second at the same time. Again, I tried to come back to them. To let them know I'd never left them. But I still couldn't do it.

#######################

"God, I hope I'm not just talking to a shell," Ezra muttered. "Aria, I have to believe you're still in there somewhere. I have to believe you still know me. And I have to believe you'll come back to me. Because I can't do this alone. I can't spend the rest of my life without you. Maybe this is stupid and pointless, but I'm all out of ideas right now. And this is what brought you to me in the first place. Maybe it'll bring you back to me now."

I felt him put something on my head. Headphones, I realized. And a second later, I heard an all-too-familiar sound. I heard the guitar chords of "Happiness." Our song. He was playing our song for me. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to show him that I could hear it. But I couldn't move a muscle. Not even a finger. This was torture. I felt moisture on my cheek and I realized I was crying, despite my eyes being closed. I hoped he could see that.

"Aria," he breathed, wiping the tears from my face. "You're still in there. Thank God. Please wake up. Please. I love you."

 _I love you too, Ezra_ , I thought. _More than you know. I'm still here. I'm trying. Don't give up on me._

#######################

"Mr. Fitz? Do you know how long she would want to be kept on the feeding tube?" the doctor was asking.

"I can't make that decision," he said hoarsely. "I can't let you do that. Not when she's still showing brain activity and breathing on her own. And yesterday I saw her cry when I played a song that means something to her. She's still in there, doctor. It's still her. I have to believe that she'll wake up."

Jesus Christ. How long had I been like this? If they were talking about pulling the plug, it had to be at least a week or more. I tried to open my eyes, and it felt like I was going to be able to, but then I still couldn't do it. I tried to squeeze the hand Ezra was still holding, and while I couldn't do that, I did manage to move a finger.

"Aria," Ezra gasped. "Thank God."

"What happened?" the doctor asked.

"She moved a finger. And I could have sworn I saw her eyelids flutter," he said. "But I can't be sure."

"Aria?" the doctor asked. "Can you hear us?"

I tried to open my eyes again, but nothing. I tried to squeeze Ezra's hand, but I couldn't do it.

"Talk to her," the doctor instructed. "Maybe it would help if she hears your voice again."

"Babe, can you hear me?" Ezra said, his voice breaking. "If you can hear me, do something. Open your eyes. Squeeze my hand."

I had to do it again. I had to show him I was still here with him. I mustered up every last ounce of strength I had trying to squeeze Ezra's hand. But once again, all I managed to do was move one finger.

"She did it again," he told the doctor. "Aria, I know it's hard, but I need you to do that one more time. Please. Show me that wasn't just an involuntary reflex."

One more time, I mustered up all the strength I had in me and moved my finger. I heard Ezra laugh a little and felt him kiss my hand.

"She's responding to you," the doctor said. He sounded happy. "She can hear you. It looks like she's trying to wake up. Give her time."

#######################

"Ezra, go home," my dad was saying. "Get some rest. I promise you we'll call if there's any change."

This must be really bad. My parents had flown in from Pennsylvania. And probably my brother too, if it was as serious as the doctors were making it sound.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ezra said stubbornly.

"You know there's nothing you could have done to stop this, Ezra," my mom said. "Stop beating yourself up over this."

"I passed beating myself up about five days ago," he sighed. "Now I'm just praying she'll wake up. I'm trying to be patient, but this is torture."

"You're no good to anyone like this, Ezra," Mike said. "At least go grab a coffee from the cafeteria. You know Aria wouldn't want you to kill yourself over her."

Well, that was true. It killed me that Ezra wasn't leaving my side. Probably not even to go home or shower or sleep or eat. It killed me that anyone had to make sacrifices for me. I tried again to open my eyes, but I still couldn't quite do it. I tried for a hand squeeze again, and I almost got it, but not quite. More finger movement, though. At least I could finally let them know I was still in here somehow.

#######################

"Aria, please wake up," Ezra said desperately. "Please. I know you're tired. I know it's hard. But I need you to come back to me. I love you."

I struggled, and I finally managed to open my eyes. His head was down, resting on his hands, which were holding one of mine. Well, I'd opened my eyes. That was something. So maybe…yes! I could squeeze his hand. Gently, but it was at least enough to let him know I was really here. Really awake. He immediately looked up and right into my eyes.

"Oh, my God," he sighed, standing up and kissing my forehead. "Aria."

"Ezra," I said weakly. I sounded like I was heavily drugged. I was sure I was. No wonder it had been so hard for me to wake up.

He hit the button to call for the nurse. I was sure they'd told him to do that the second I woke up.

"How…long?" I managed to ask. I still couldn't quite form a complete sentence.

"Almost two weeks," he said, tears coming to his eyes.

"I…heard…you," I told him. "Whole…time. I…tried."

He smiled and kissed my hand.

"I know," he said. "I love you."

"I…love…you," I said. It was getting a little easier to talk now, but it was still work.

"Shh," he said, full on crying now. But at least it was tears of joy this time. "Don't talk if it's hard."

God, I'd been such an idiot. I'd told him not to be a hero. Not to do anything that would take him from me. And what had I done? I'd almost died trying to do exactly what I'd told him not to do. And I'd put him through (apparently) almost two weeks of pure hell. What in the hell had I been thinking?

"I'm…sorry," I told him. I started to cry too.

"It's okay," Ezra said softly, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "You're awake. And you're still you. That's all that matters."

I tried to smile, but it was too much work. So I just squeezed his hand again. And then the nurse came in.

"Oh, my gosh," she gasped. "She's awake."

"Yeah," Ezra said, half laughing.

"Hey there, Aria," the nurse said. "Welcome back. I'm going to go call for the doctor."

Ezra kissed my hand again, then sighed. The nurse walked out of the room, I guessed to call the doctor.

"Is it okay if I call your parents?" Ezra asked me. "Or do you want me to wait a little bit?"

"It's okay," I told him. "Don't make…them wait."

He nodded and pulled out his phone with one hand, keeping a hold of my hand with the other one.

"Byron," he breathed. "She's awake."

There was a pause.

"Yes, I'm serious," he chuckled. "She's having a hard time talking. Otherwise I'd let you talk to her. But she's awake and lucid. Okay, we'll see you soon."

"Don't know…how long," I told him. I was still exhausted. "Still…tired. I'll try…stay awake."

"Don't worry about it," Ezra told me. "I'm sure they'll understand if you need to go back to sleep. Just maybe wake up sooner than two weeks from now."

I managed a small smile. If anyone needed proof of how well we knew each other, here it was. He apparently could speak heavily drugged Aria. He was able to figure out what I was trying to say even though I was barely able to get out two words at a time.

"Never…again," I tried. "I'm…sorry. Should have…fought more."

"No," he said. "Don't think like that. This isn't your fault."

"Did they…catch them?" I asked.

"Yes, they did. They arrested all of them. It's not even going to trial. Much as Crawford tried to get a trial date, they all pled down," he told me. "But they're still going away for a long time."

"Good," I sighed.

This was so frustrating. There was so much I wanted to say to him. So much I had to apologize for. But I couldn't even get a full sentence out.

The doctor walked in right then.

"Hi, Aria," he said. "I'm Dr. Green. Do you know where you are?"

Really? Was this necessary?

"I'm in…the hospital," I said.

"And do you know him?" Dr. Green asked, looking at Ezra.

I managed another smile. "Fiancé. Ezra."

Ezra chuckled and kissed my hand. It was obvious all was forgiven. I was awake and I still knew him. And that was all he cared about.

"Good," the doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"Still…tired," I told him. "Hard…to talk."

"The sedation is still wearing off," he explained. "It'll get easier to talk. But we're going to keep you on some painkillers for a little while, okay?"

I suddenly realized I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me, besides the obvious.

"How bad?" I asked him.

"You were out for almost two weeks. And with the previous damage to your lungs, we weren't sure how much damage was done to your brain with the duct tape making you lose consciousness. How long you'd gone without oxygen. Other than that…I think I should let your fiancé tell you the rest."

Well, that wasn't good. Given what I'd heard the men saying before I passed out, I had a feeling I knew what else had happened to me. And all I could think was how glad I was that I hadn't been conscious for it. Because now I wasn't traumatized from it.

I sighed. "Okay."

Ezra looked like his heart was broken even thinking about it. This wasn't good at all.

"Later," I told Ezra. "Need to…sleep more."

He nodded. "We'll talk when you wake back up. I promise."

I tried to nod, but that was a little too much muscle movement right now. And that was the moment at which my parents and brother walked into the room.

"Aria," my mom said, walking up and hugging me gently. "You're awake."

"Mom," I said, trying to let her know that I still knew who she was. "Not…for long. Still…tired."

"At least you came back to us," Mike said as he walked up and squeezed my shoulder.

"Never…left…Mike," I said. "Heard you…whole time. Tried to…wake up."

My dad chuckled. "Let's let her go back to sleep. See if she can sleep off the sedation so she can form a complete sentence."

"Thank…you…Dad," I said. "Need…sleep. Love…you…all."

"We love you too," my mom said. "Go on back to sleep. We'll be back later."

My family walked out of the room, but Ezra stayed put.

"Ezra…sleep," I said. "Come…back…later."

"Not a chance," he told me. "I'm not going anywhere. And I have some phone calls to make to some very worried friends."

I managed another small smile. "At least…sleep here. Please."

"Maybe," he chuckled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just rest."

I closed my eyes and almost immediately drifted back to sleep. When I woke back up, my friends were all standing around the bed.

"Hey, guys," I said. It was much easier to talk now, though I was still dog tired. "Miss me?"

My friends laughed and cried at the same time.

"You have no idea," Jordan said, squeezing my hand. "We were so worried."

"Yeah, you gave us all a good scare for sure," Aiden chuckled. "You have no idea how good it is to see you awake."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I heard you. The whole time. I tried to wake up."

"Don't be sorry, sweetie," Becca said as she squeezed my shoulder. "You're back with us now. That's what matters."

"I never left," I told them.

Ezra kissed my hand. Of course he was still here.

"We knew you were still in there somewhere," Alexis chuckled, putting a hand on my leg. "I wish Bee could be here right now. She's been so worried. But she's taking her finals right now. And Jake had to go back to Afghanistan a couple days ago. But he was here with us every day until he left. If you're up to it, maybe I can try to get him on the phone next time I come by. He'll be so relieved to hear you're awake."

"Yes," I said. "And bring Bailey by when you can."

"I will," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I think you need some time alone with your man, though," Kendra said, squeezing the hand Jordan had been holding. "We'll come back later, okay?"

I nodded. Holy crap. I could nod. This was good. This was improvement.

"Okay," I said. "Thank you. Please come back though."

"We will," Becca promised.

"I get the feeling they won't let you out of here any time soon," Jordan said. "Maybe when you're feeling up to it, I'll bring Cards Against Humanity one day."

"I really want to know what we'll find out about her while she's on heavy duty painkillers and playing that game," Kendra laughed. "She's already so truthful when she's playing it."

We all laughed. That was work, but much needed. Laughter really was the best medicine.

"Okay, let's let our girl get some rest," Becca said. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I agreed.

As soon as my friends left, I turned to Ezra.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep," I said.

"And I thought I told you there wasn't a snowflake's chance in hell that was happening," he chuckled. "Seems like it's easier for you to talk now."

"Much," I told him. "I think the sedation's wearing off. I'm still tired, though."

"It's okay," he said. "I'm just…relieved isn't the right word. I don't even know what I am."

"I know," I told him, then sighed. "I'm so sorry. I should have fought harder. I shouldn't have let them take me."

"There were six of them and one of you," he reminded me. "I'd say the odds were stacked against you."

I needed to know what had happened to me. And I knew I was going to have to drag it out of him. He wasn't going to volunteer the information.

"Ezra, I need to know," I started. "I need you to tell me the truth. They raped me, didn't they?"

He didn't say anything. He just nodded and looked like he was going to cry again.

"Hey," I said, squeezing his hand. "I don't remember any of it. I passed out before it happened. I just heard them talking about it right before I passed out."

"Is it wrong if I say I'm glad?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"No. So am I. Makes it easier. Though I'm sure I'll feel it when I'm not on IV painkillers."

"I hope it's healed by then, but probably," he sighed, kissing my hand. "I'm not going to lie, it was bad."

"Thank you for telling me the truth," I sighed.

"Always," he said, trying to smile.

"Will you please get some sleep?" I asked. "For me. And maybe go home and take a shower. I get the feeling it's been a while since you've done that."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it has."

"I promise you, I'm not going to slip back into another coma," I told him. "I can't promise I'll be awake when you get back, but I promise I'll wake back up."

"How about if I go home and shower and change my clothes and then come back? I can sleep here."

"I guess that's acceptable. Though I'm sure the bed at home would be much more comfortable."

"Nope," Ezra said. "Where I'm comfortable is with you."

I shook my head. He was so stubborn. But I loved him more than I could even wrap my head around.

"I love you so much," I told him.

"I love you too," he said, standing up. "I'll be back soon."

He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, but then bent over and gave me the first real kiss I'd gotten since I woke up. It was work, but I reached up and touched his face as we kissed, and it seemed to last forever and only a second at the same time. But suddenly all was right in the world.

It took another two weeks for the doctors to let me go home. They poked and prodded at me, put me in machines, and just generally frustrated me. Couldn't they tell that I was awake and alert and that my brain wasn't permanently damaged? And it didn't help that Ezra kept laughing at me when I said how frustrated I was with the process. Or maybe he was laughing with me. Or just laughing because he was so relieved that I was back to my old self. Back to the girl he loved. I doubted even he knew for sure.

At least Ezra and my friends and family kept me entertained whenever the doctors weren't treating me like a lab rat or helping me get my muscle strength back. We played Cards Against Humanity a couple of times (which I'd thought would be embarrassing with Ezra participating, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself), watched movies, and just hung out like we used to before all of this insanity started happening. I did get to talk to Jacob on the phone a couple of times, and he sounded so relieved to hear my voice.

I went through a whole gamut of emotions when we finally pulled back up to the house. I was completely healed from the injuries from the rape, but still just tired. I didn't know what kind of drugs they'd given me, but they made me super groggy and they were still wearing off. And I was still working on getting my muscle strength back. I still had a couple weeks of physical therapy to go. Ezra didn't let me do anything for myself, not even open my car door.

"I have told you the old-fashioned romantic in you is a little annoying at times, right?" I teased as he helped me out of the car.

"Deal with it. You're not lifting a finger for a while," he chuckled.

"You do remember the doctor giving me the all clear, right? Oh, and the fact that I'm supposed to be trying to do as much as I can to get my strength back?"

"Yes. But this isn't about that," he sighed.

"Ezra, I'm fine," I told him. "Really. I can't be traumatized from something I don't remember. And I'm healed from that part of it. I'm not saying I'm perfect yet, but I'm getting there."

He smiled. "You'll always be perfect to me. No matter what."

I chuckled a little and felt myself blush.

"Back at you," I said. "Is it weird that I'm a little nervous to go back in?"

"No. You haven't been here in a month."

A month. When he said it like that, suddenly a horrifying thought came to mind. Something I hadn't even thought to ask until now.

"Don't laugh at me when I ask you this," I requested.

"I can't promise that, but I'll try," he teased. "What?"

"What happened with school? Obviously life and classes went on without me."

"Well, you'll have to retake a couple of classes, but some of the professors were lenient and gave you a grade based on the assignments you'd done. Like your photography professor. He actually came by a couple of times while you were unconscious. He was genuinely concerned," he said. "And the school agreed to let you keep your scholarship and take the classes online over the summer."

"So I don't have to stay here and do the summer school thing?" I clarified.

"Nope," he said, smiling. "We're still headed to Rosewood next month. You and I have a date with a minister. And then a flight to Europe to catch."

I chuckled. "Good. Please tell me I don't have a welcoming party waiting for me inside."

"You don't. I promise. Your friends wanted to do that, but I convinced them to come by tomorrow instead."

"Thank God," I sighed. "Because what I really want today is just to be with you."

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised me as he opened the door. "You'll probably get sick of me."

"That's not going to happen," I laughed. "And if it did, that wouldn't bode well for our future as a married couple."

Ezra chuckled and led me upstairs without another word. And we literally just laid in bed all day. Not even watching TV or reading or anything. We spent the whole day just lying there wrapped in each other's embrace, talking a little, sleeping a lot (at least on my part), and just enjoying finally being back home and together and alone. It was a little surreal to believe that it was really over. Everything was over. A was gone, the creeps who had done this to me were behind bars, and we could finally just live our lives in peace.

The next day, our house was overrun with people. My parents and brother were still in town, and they were actually a little overbearing. Not horrible, but it was almost like they resented Ezra for being here and being the one who got to take care of me. At least my parents were like that. Mike was just grateful he was here. And he tried to remind my parents that Ezra and I were getting married soon. That I wasn't a little girl anymore.

But more than wanting to see my parents, I wanted to see my friends. And they didn't disappoint. Alexis, Bailey, Becca, Kendra, Jordan, and Aiden all came over at various points during the day. Alexis and Bailey even brought Belle with them.

When the Whites came by, of course Mr. White and Ezra had to talk business for a little bit. Ezra had taken an FMLA leave of absence so he could be at the hospital with me. That guaranteed him a job when he came back to work next year, but what job was still kind of up in the air.

"Ezra, I have a proposition for you," Mr. White told him. "You're of course welcome to your old job when you get back from your honeymoon if you want it, but I happen to have a vacancy in the administration department. I seem to find myself without a dean of attendance now. And I would love it if you would fill the slot."

"Are you sure about that?" Ezra asked. "I'm honored, but I'm sure there are much more qualified people out there who would love that job."

"Look, I've been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching. And right now, in the wake of what's happened, I need people I can trust in the administration at that school. You're one of the few people I trust. You don't have to give me an answer right now, but I do need to know before you leave for Rosewood."

"I'll think about it," Ezra sighed. "I promise, I will. But I love teaching. I don't know if I'm ready to give it up yet."

"I understand that, believe me. But you have a chance to make a difference in that school. To help me make sure nothing like this ever happens again," Mr. White said.

"Okay, guys, how about we save the shop talk for later?" Tracy teased. "Today is about Aria, not about the school."

"No, they can keep talking," I chuckled. "I'm actually enjoying the distraction."

Ezra chuckled and kissed my head, but didn't say anything else about it. And the rest of the visit was great. It wasn't a visit with my fiancé's boss and his wife. It was just a visit with two people who had become pretty incredible friends to us.

It took a while for me to work up the nerve to even try anything in the bedroom again. It wasn't that I was traumatized from what I'd been through. I didn't remember it. It was more that I knew Ezra was. And I didn't want our first time in God knew how long to have baggage attached. I was just waiting for the right time. When it felt right. When it was natural, not forced. When we were just…us again.

The right time came the night before we left for Rosewood. We had our bags packed and we were ready to leave the next morning. Whenever. We were driving, so it wasn't like we had to be walking out the door at a specific time. And we were just lying in bed kissing. I wouldn't have quite called it making out, because making out would imply that more was going on, that it was more…carnal in nature. And it wasn't like that at all. This was more just romance. Just us saying "I love you" without words. At some point, his hand slipped under my shirt. It wasn't conscious, but he didn't freeze and stop it like he had all the other times before since I'd been home. That was how I knew. This was it. This was right. There was no baggage tonight. Tonight, right now, it was just us.

I slipped my hand under Ezra's shirt as I pulled him closer by his lower back. He exhaled quietly and ran his hand up my back under my shirt, seeming like he was trying to re-memorize every curve. I stopped kissing him just long enough to take his shirt off, and he responded by pulling mine off. As we rolled over so he was above me, he stopped to look at me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

I nodded and kissed him again.

"You're the only person I'm thinking about right now," I told him. "It's just us. I love you."

Ezra's smile lit up the whole room.

"I love you," he said quietly. "More than anything."


	26. All's Well That Ends Well

Chapter Twenty-Six  
 _All's Well That Ends Well_

 **Ezra**

It felt surreal as Aria and I pulled off the familiar exit on the highway. With everything that had happened this year, it almost felt too good to be true. We were finally here. In Rosewood. And we were getting married in two months. There had been a time not so long ago when it seemed like this wasn't going to happen at all.

Aria reached over and put her hand on my shoulder.

"You look like you're deep in thought," she said. "Care to share?"

I sighed. "I keep trying to convince myself that we're actually here. That I'm not going to wake up and be back in that hospital begging and pleading with you to wake up."

"I'd pinch you to prove that you're awake, but I would prefer not to get into a car accident," she teased.

I chuckled a little. "I appreciate that."

"Do you think you might crack a smile at some point? You do remember we're here to get married, right? You look like you're going to a funeral."

I tried to smile, but it didn't really work.

Aria sighed. "Look, Ezra, I can't even begin to imagine what you went through for those couple of weeks. I know it had to be hell on earth. And as much as I wish I could, I know there's nothing I can say or do to take the memory of that time away from you. But it's over now. I'm here. I'm awake. And I'm not permanently brain-damaged. Or maybe I am. The jury's still out on that."

That did make me smile.

She chuckled. "Seriously, though. This is supposed to be a happy time. We're supposed to be excited about doing last-minute wedding planning and dreading what our attendants are planning for our bachelor and bachelorette parties."

I laughed. "I'm sure I don't even want to know what Wes has up his sleeve."

"See, that's the stuff you should be thinking about right now," Aria said. "Not dwelling on the past. I know it's not easy, but can you at least try?"

I sighed as I pulled into the hotel parking lot. She was right. This was no way to be acting when we were here to do last minute wedding planning and getting married in less than two months. As soon as I parked the car, I turned and kissed her.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you too," Aria said. "Now, will you promise me you'll try not to act like you're still in my hospital room for the next couple of months?"

I smiled. "I'll try. And if I do start to go back to that place, it's your job to bring me back. Deal?"

"Deal. Okay, let's go get checked in. I need a shower. Bad."

"That makes two of us. God, I hate this drive."

"You know, it's not completely necessary to drive straight through. That was your boneheaded idea. It's not like hotel rooms cost _that_ much."

"You're right," I told her. "When we go back, we'll split it up."

"And here's a thought. You could actually let me drive some of the way," Aria teased. "Do you have any idea how boring it is to sit in the passenger seat for twelve hours?"

I laughed as we got out of the car. We got ourselves checked in to the hotel within no time and then made three trips getting everything out of the car. Unfortunately, being here for two months meant having enough clothes for that time. Yes, we had access to a washing machine at her parents' house, which we would be taking advantage of, but we still needed a fair amount of clothing (especially since we were leaving for Italy the day after the wedding). And we had Aria's wedding dress and accessories in tow too, since those were purchased in Savannah. Thankfully, I was renting a tuxedo here, so we didn't have to worry about two garment bags.

As soon as we got everything into the room and shut the door behind us for the last time, I went to shut the curtains. And Aria walked up behind me and pinched my arm. Hard.

"Ow!" I said as I turned to face her. "What was that for?"

"Now are you convinced this is for real?" she giggled.

"I'm sure the mark that's going to leave will serve as a reminder," I chuckled.

"You are such a wimp. It wasn't that hard."

That did it. Payback was in order. If only because I wanted her to keep laughing and this was guaranteed to accomplish that goal.

"Am I?" I teased, tickling her in the ribs.

"Ezra!" she protested, giggling, as she backed up.

"I'm the wimp? That didn't even hurt," I laughed as I followed her until she fell backwards on the bed.

I sat down next to her and, as soon as I saw she was okay, went for her ribs again. That brought on a new round of giggling, and I couldn't help but laugh with her. The thought crossed my mind that she must have _really_ wanted to see me smile, because normally she would have put an end to this by now. Like most normal girls, she hated when I did this. Though I liked it because I loved hearing her laugh. After a few minutes, though, she did grab my hands to stop me.

"There's the smile I was looking for," she chuckled.

"You must have been really desperate to see a smile if you let that happen," I laughed.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," she said as she sat up.

"Apparently. It's good to hear you laugh though. I'm not the only one who hasn't been smiling enough lately," I told her.

"Because I'm worried about you. I can't smile if I'm spending all my time worried that you're having flashbacks."

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I'm not going to lie, sometimes I expect to wake up and be back in that hospital room talking to you and begging you to wake up."

"You're not dreaming," she promised me. "This is for real. We're here in Rosewood. My brother is graduating tomorrow. And we're getting married in two months. I know it seemed pretty hopeless for a while, but it's going to take a lot more than duct tape to take me away from you."

"Do you have any idea how much it scares me that that was all it took?"

"I know. Believe me. I know. But we're not going to dwell on it. Or think about it at all. Right now, we are going to take a much-needed shower and try to get some sleep so we're not zombies at Mike's graduation tomorrow."

I smiled. "You definitely won't hear me object to that."

Aria chuckled. "At least it's easy enough to distract you when you get lost in your own head."

Aria's parents seemed like they were having a hard time believing she was really here when we got to their house the next day. They had their own scars and memories from her being in the hospital, just like I did. But she reminded them quickly that today wasn't about her. It was about her brother, who emerged from his bedroom in his graduation gown a few minutes after we got there.

"Aria!" he exclaimed, clearly thrilled to see his sister.

"Hey, Mike," she laughed as he picked her up off the floor in a hug. "A little bird told me someone's graduating today."

"Yeah. Luckily they excused the time I took to come down and see you in the hospital."

"We're not thinking about that today," Aria said. "Today is all about you, not me."

"Right. There's another day coming up in a couple months that's all about you," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I seem to remember something about that," she giggled. "Something about a white dress and actually getting you to wear a tuxedo."

"Under extreme duress," Mike chuckled. "Hey, so do you mind if I bring a date?"

"Mona?"

"I know she's not your favorite person," he said. "And it's your wedding, so if you say you don't want her there, I'll respect that."

"And, whether or not I like it, she's your girlfriend," Aria sighed as she sat down on the couch; I sat down next to her. "So if she wants to come, she's welcome there. As long as she's on good behavior."

Almost on cue, there was a knock at the door.

"Well, you can tell her that yourself," he chuckled.

"Speak of the devil," Aria muttered under her breath as soon as he was out of earshot.

I chuckled and kissed her head, smiling. I loved that she was willing to bury the hatchet with Mona for her brother's sake. There was so much history there and they had every reason to hate each other, but it seemed that Mike was more important to both of them than their grudges against each other.

"Aria," Mona said as she walked into the living room. "You're here."

"Where else would I be?" Aria asked, a little hostile, but still civil. "Mike's graduating today."

"I just…I heard what happened. I didn't know if you'd…well, if you'd be able to make it."

"I appreciate your concern, Mona, but I'm fine," Aria said. "The doctors gave me the all clear last week. So Ezra and I are here for most of the summer. We just got in last night."

"I'm sorry if that was insensitive," Mona said. "I really was worried. I wanted to come down to Georgia with Mike, but I didn't think you'd want me there."

Aria smiled uncomfortably. "I think Mike could have used the moral support. But I appreciate you being respectful and keeping your distance."

Mona sat down in a chair across from the couch and sighed.

"Look, Mike asked me to come to your wedding as his date. And I really would like to be there. But I wanted to ask you first. I understand if you don't want me there," she said.

"You're not planning on sending me any anonymous threats or trying to kill me on my wedding day, right?" Aria asked. I honestly couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or serious.

Mona chuckled. "No, those days are behind me. I want to come as a friend. Or if not a friend, at least someone who cares about you and only wants the best for you now."

Aria sighed. "We'll never be friends, Mona. You had a shot at that, but you blew it when you tortured me and my friends for months. I know we were all trapped together in the dollhouse, but that doesn't erase what you did. Nothing can ever make that go away. It's for my brother's sake that I'm saying you can come. I want to make that very clear. And if you try _anything_ , anything at all, to ruin my wedding day, I will have you bodily removed. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand," Mona told her. "That's more than I was expecting."

"Good. I'll put you down as Mike's plus one, then," Aria said very matter-of-factly. As if she hadn't just laid down some very strict terms for agreeing to it.

I squeezed Aria's shoulder and kissed her head, and Mona smiled. It seemed to be a genuine smile. Like she really was happy for Aria and glad to be invited to the wedding.

"You two really are great together," Mona said. "I mean it. I'm really happy for you guys."

That got an actual smile out of Aria. Clearly that was a remark she didn't mind. She rested her head on my shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"Thanks, Mona," I said quietly as I put an arm around Aria, pulling her close.

"You're welcome, Mr. Fi—Ezra," she said, chuckling. "It's weird calling you by your first name."

Everyone chuckled a little.

"If it makes you feel better, it's weird hearing you call me by my first name," I said.

"Weirder than hearing my friends call you by your first name?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, a little," I told her. "I don't just see them as my former students. They're my fiancée's best friends. I get the feeling they're always going to be a part of my life."

Aria chuckled.

"I hate to break this up, but we need to get going," Byron told us. "We have to be at the school in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, let's go," Mike said, clearly grateful for the escape from this awkward conversation.

Mike and Mona rode with Byron and Ella to the school, and Aria and I took my car. As soon as we got in, I turned to look at her.

"You know, it was amazing how well you handled the situation with Mona," I told her. "I know that wasn't easy for you."

"No, it wasn't," she agreed. "But it was the right thing to do. Mike loves her. You should have seen how devastated he was when he thought she was dead. It was heartbreaking. I'm not going to be the one to come between them, regardless of my history with her. If he says she's turned over a new leaf, I'll believe him unless she does something to make me think otherwise."

"So who exactly are you going to have remove her if she does try anything?"

"I'm pretty sure Toby and Caleb would be only too happy to oblige. Especially Caleb. Regardless of how mad it would make Hanna."

"Well, let's just pray she doesn't try anything," I chuckled. "Otherwise I'm getting visions of a ton of domestic brawls happening at our wedding."

Aria laughed. "No joke. So, you ready to go look your former colleagues in the eye after our public display of affection at last year's graduation?"

I laughed too. That would definitely be interesting. At the time, I hadn't thought I was ever going to have to see any of them again. At least not in a school setting. I'd forgotten about Mike graduating this year.

"Yeah, let's go get this over with," I said as I backed out of the driveway.

What I wasn't expecting when we got there was to see Alison DiLaurentis walking up to the auditorium too. She had no reason to be here that I knew of. But at least one person was happy to see her.

"Ali!" Aria exclaimed, letting go of my hand to run over and greet her friend.

"Aria!" Alison said, giving Aria a big hug. "Oh, my God. You have no idea how good it is to see you alive and well. We were so worried."

"I know," Aria sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Just tell me they got the guys."

"They did," I said as I walked up to them. "They all pled down to lesser charges, but their parole officers haven't even been born yet. And it didn't go to trial, which means Aria didn't have to testify. So it's a win all around."

"Is it true Noel Kahn's uncle was part of it?" Alison asked.

"Yeah, it's true," Aria sighed. "That's how he found out about threatening us as A."

"God, that's scary," Alison said. "Well, at least you're in one piece now. And the rest of the girls are getting here next week to start with the wedding stuff."

"I can't believe it's only two months away," Aria told her. "It seems like just yesterday that we were here for Christmas and setting a date."

"It does," I agreed. "Babe, we should get inside before we lose your parents."

"Yeah, we should. I'll see you soon, Ali," Aria said.

"See you soon, guys," Alison told us.

As we walked inside, I saw a handful of my old colleagues, all of whom did a double take when they saw Aria and I walking inside together, arm in arm. I saw Aria chuckle and roll her eyes a little.

"You have to love small towns," I said when we finally sat down.

"I hate to point this out, Ezra, but I think you'd be pretty memorable even if this wasn't a small town," Ella chuckled. "It's not every day a teacher resigns from teaching at a high school so he can move a thousand miles away to be closer to one of his former students."

"Who he asked to marry him the day after she graduated," Aria giggled. "Face it, babe. You're infamous now."

"As long as the end result is getting to keep you, I don't care what I am," I chuckled, kissing Aria's head.

After the ceremony and about half an hour taking pictures, Byron and Ella took us all to the Rosewood Grill for dinner. I'd thought it would be packed because it was one of three restaurants in this town, but it was surprisingly quiet. People must have elected to go to New Hope or even Philadelphia for dinner tonight. We had a pleasant dinner and Mike thoroughly enjoyed his gifts, most of which were cash and checks. But Aria and I had been a tad more creative. Okay, it had been her idea, but I'd thought it was brilliant and just piggybacked off of it. We'd put together a "survival kit" for his first year of college. Yes, we'd included some cash. But we'd also gotten him a bag of laundry soap tabs and a couple rolls of quarters for doing laundry, a Starbucks gift card and some instant coffee, Tide To Go markers, a small sewing kit, a dry erase board and markers, extra pens and pencils, scissors, a First Aid kit, a small tool set, some daytime and nighttime cold medicine, cough drops, a cheap pair of plastic sandals for the showers, a few oversized towels, some healthy (and not-so-healthy) snack foods, and a box of condoms as a gag. And we'd put it all in a huge laundry basket so he'd have one of those as well.

"So, Mike, the trick is to make those last the whole year," Byron teased as he pulled the condoms out.

Mike turned beet red; everyone else started laughing.

"I'm going to kill you, Aria," he chuckled.

"Hey, you'll be grateful in a couple of months," she laughed. "For most of it, at least. The condoms were Ezra's idea."

"Great, throw me under the bus when I'm trying to stay on your parents' good side," I teased, kissing her head.

"No, actually, that keeps you on our good side," Ella chuckled. "I'm way too young to be a grandmother. Something you two would do well to remember too."

"You don't have to worry about that for at least a few years," Aria told her.

That was true. She'd told me that a while back, and I'd agreed with her. She didn't need to be trying to care for a baby while going to school full-time. Of course, if something unplanned happened, we would roll with the punches, but if all went according to plan, no kids were in our foreseeable future for at least a little while.

It wasn't until we were almost done with the evening that I remembered where we were. In the place where Aria and I had first met. As fortune would have it, I had a few quarters in my pocket. Once everyone else left, I quietly walked over to the jukebox. And surprisingly, the song selection hadn't changed. I played B26 and walked over to sit at the bar.

"Are you going to tell me what in the hell you're doing at some point?" Aria chuckled as she walked up and sat next to me.

"Don't you know where we are?" I asked.

She was silent for a minute. And then, right as "Happiness" started playing, she laughed.

"Oh, my God," she giggled. "I can't believe I didn't realize it."

I turned and gave her a kiss.

"Thank God I decided to have that last beer," I said.

"Thank God I decided to come in here and grab lunch while I was waiting for Mike to get done with lacrosse practice," she said, kissing me again.

As soon as the song was over, I hesitated for a split second before deciding to re-create the end of our first "date." Maybe it was ridiculous and over-the-top. Possibly even dumb and impulsive. But after everything we'd been through this year, a little bit of impulsiveness was in order as far I was concerned. We'd earned it.

"Come with me," I said, grabbing her hand.

She laughed. "Really? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," I chuckled. "Come on."

She giggled as she let me lead her into the bathroom. As luck would have it, no one else was there. And I found a broom that someone had left in the hall and used the handle to block the door from the inside so no one would come in. Then I picked her up and sat her on the counter.

"You're insane," Aria laughed.

"Possibly certifiable," I teased.

She giggled again and kissed me, winding her legs around my waist. As our kisses deepened and continued, I realized there was a marked difference between this time and the first time. This time, there was no hesitation. Neither of us stopping for a second every couple of minutes to think about how insane this was. This time, it was just two people who loved each other more than anything else in the world reminiscing about how they met. And after about twenty minutes, I pulled back for a second to look at her.

"I love you," I said quietly.

"I love you too," she said, giving me another kiss.

"Ready to get out of here?" I asked. Being honest, this was getting to the point where we (or at least I) _needed_ to get out of here and take the activities back to our hotel room.

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Let's go."

As we were lying in bed, completely spent but happier than we'd been in a long time, a couple of hours later, Aria was the one to break the comfortable silence.

"I just realized something," she said. "We haven't talked about what we want to do for a reading during our wedding ceremony."

She was right; we hadn't. And it was kind of an important subject.

"I assume you're bringing this up because you have a thought about it?" I prodded.

"Actually, I was hoping you did," she said. "I can't think of who I would want to do it. Literally all of our friends are involved in the wedding in some capacity. So I can't think of anyone we could ask to do it."

"Well, you could always ask Mona," I teased.

She chuckled. "I think I'll pass."

And then inspiration hit me.

"What if we have our attendants do it?" I asked. "So they're actually involved in the ceremony instead of just standing there like statues?"

"That's different," she said slowly.

"You hate it," I chuckled.

"No, actually. I love it," she said. "So what are we going to have them read?"

"That's easy," I said. "We'll each pick out a sentence or two from books or plays for our attendants. No Bible passages. That's too easy."

"And not us," she agreed. "Literature is much more our speed. I love that idea."

Two months flew by, and before we knew it, we were at our ceremony rehearsal. I'd never gotten the point of this. We just said "I do" when the minister asked the all-important question, read our vows, and that was it. Why did we need to practice Aria and her bridesmaids walking down the aisle and go over every step of the ceremony to make sure we had it down? But from the start, Pastor Ted actually made it fun, cracking jokes and agreeing with us about how ridiculous this was.

"Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today," he began, trying to impersonate the character from _Princess Bride_. And doing a horrible job of it.

Everyone in the room laughed.

"I couldn't resist," Pastor Ted chuckled. "So, anyway, I'll do my greeting first. And then someone's going to object."

We both chuckled.

"And then Aria's dad is going to give her away. Or refuse to," he continued.

"God, I hope not," Aria chuckled.

"And then the reading," Pastor Ted continued. "Which I understand the attendants wanted to practice now."

"Wait, guys, we're not actually doing that until tomorrow," Aria said. "Neither of us wants to know what the other person's attendants are reading."

"Oh, come on," Alison said. "What's the big deal? It's just some random literature passages. What if we trip over the readings tomorrow because you didn't let us have a dry run?"

Aria and I looked at each other and shrugged.

"I honestly don't care that much," I told her.

"Okay, fine," Aria said. "Go for it."

"Thank you," Wes said. "Okay, Alison, you're up."

Alison mock cleared her throat; we all chuckled.

"J.D. Salinger wrote, 'I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot,'" she said.

Aria started cracking up, and I couldn't help but laugh with her. I immediately realized their game. They'd all come up with different, completely random, passages to read tonight. And of course Alison had picked a passage from my least favorite required reading novel, _The Catcher in the Rye._

"Did you know about this?" I asked Aria, still laughing.

"No," she giggled. "But this ought to be good."

Spencer chuckled. "Dr. Seuss wrote, 'From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere.'"

Aria and I laughed again.

Hanna giggled. "Stephenie Meyer wrote, 'About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him—and I didn't know how potent that part might be—that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.'"

More laughter. I was ashamed to admit I knew that was from _Twilight_. Because I'd actually read the entire series to find out what every single girl in every one of my classes was so obsessed with. And the fact that they were so infatuated with a fictional character who was borderline abusive to the girl he claimed to love disturbed me greatly. Not to mention the writing was…godawful. Aria had poked fun at me to no end when I was complaining about how terrible it was.

"Do you understand how much I hate that book?" I said when I'd finally caught my breath.

"Me…too," Aria gasped.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, 'I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool,'" Emily read, as straight-faced as she could be.

By this point, Aria and I were doubled over and laughing uncontrollably. We couldn't even catch our breath. And our attendants, photographers, and videographer were all laughing with us. At least that was from _The Great Gatsby,_ a worthwhile piece of literature, though completely inappropriate for the occasion.

Becca seemed like she was willing herself to catch her breath so she could read her passage. She took a couple of deep breaths and composed herself.

"Margaret Mitchell wrote, 'Well, my dear, take heart. Some day, I will kiss you and you will like it. But not now, so I beg you not to be too impatient,'" she said.

That brought on a whole new round of laughter. Of course our token Southern belle would pick a quote from _Gone With the Wind._ But, again, a quote that was entirely inappropriate for a wedding.

My brother was chuckling to himself, waiting for us to compose ourselves before reading whatever he'd come up with. Which frightened me, because that meant he wanted to make sure we heard it. This was bound to be interesting.

"E.L. James wrote, 'Suppose he returns with a cane, or some weird kinky implement?'" Wesley recited, completely straight faced.

"I'm going to get you for that, Wes," I told him when I'd caught my breath from my latest fit of laughter.

I didn't know for sure, but I was almost positive he'd pulled a quote from the ridiculously popular smut women were actually reading in public, _Fifty Shades of Grey._

Mike was taking deep breaths to compose himself.

"J.K. Rowling wrote, 'Turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four,'" he said, completely dead-pan, doing his best Alan Rickman impression.

"Of course someone had to throw a _Harry Potter_ quote in the mix," Aria giggled.

"I was waiting for that too," I laughed.

"William Shakespeare wrote, 'Villain, I have done thy mother!'" Caleb continued.

I actually had to grab the podium to keep my balance, I was laughing so hard at that one. One thing was for sure, Shakespeare was a genius. He'd written some of the most beautiful and romantic passages in history. But on the flip side of the coin, no one could throw out an insult like he could.

Toby was waiting patiently for his turn. And when I'd somewhat composed myself, he began.

"Tennessee Williams wrote…" he started, pausing for dramatic effect. "' _ **STELLA!**_ '"

I was glad I was still gripping the podium, because I nearly fell over in another fit of laughter.

Mr. White was the last person to read, and since he'd also been an English teacher, I was extremely curious to see what he'd come up with for this hilarious prank.

"Walt Whitman wrote, 'I went to the woods because I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow out of life!" he recited.

Now it was Aria's turn to grab the podium to keep her balance.

"Oh, my God," she gasped between giggles. " _Leaves of Grass_. Of course."

It took us at least five minutes to stop laughing. I'd been dreading today because I'd thought it would be incredibly boring and pointless, but thanks to someone's brilliant idea, it had turned into a day full of fun and laughter with memories I would treasure for the rest of my life.

"Okay, I have to know," I said when I could talk again. "Who was the mastermind behind that?"

"Guilty," Spencer chuckled.

"That was hilarious," Aria laughed.

"It was," I agreed.

"I told her you'd either die laughing or want to kill us all," Wesley chuckled.

"I think the jury's still out on you, Wes," Mike laughed. "Quoting _Fifty Shades of Grey_. At least the rest of us have a little class."

 **(Author's note: So, I thought I was done with this story. But then in a sleep-deprived daze while I was re-reading the wedding chapter a few days ago, I suddenly had a thought about how funny it would be if during the rehearsal, all of the attendants came up with completely random and senseless quotes and read them as a prank. And I decided I had to write it. My boyfriend thought I had lost my mind because I was cracking myself up trying to figure out what quotes to have the attendants read. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. This really is it. I think.)**


	27. As Long as We Both Shall Live

Chapter Twenty-Six  
 _As Long as We Both Shall Live_

 **Aria**

I woke to an empty bed, which was rare. And unexpected. But when I rolled over to face Ezra's side of the bed, I found a small gift box and a red rose with a ribbon tied around it lying on the pillow. I picked the rose up, and there was a note attached to the end of the ribbon.

 _I can't wait to marry you._

I smiled and smelled the rose like a giddy teenager. I couldn't believe this was it. Finally. We'd made it. Ezra and I were getting married today. We hadn't done the traditional sleeping apart the night before the wedding thing, basically because I couldn't sleep without him anymore. And, being real, what about us was traditional? Absolutely nothing.

I picked up the gift box and undid the ribbon. And the first thing I found when I opened the box was a piece of paper that fell out. I unfolded it and the hand-written letter moved me to tears.

 _Aria,  
I'm sitting here on the night before our wedding watching you sleep and trying to come up with words for how I feel knowing that at this time tomorrow you'll be my wife. And I can't find words that do my feelings justice. I'm feeling a million emotions all at once. I'm happy and excited and nervous and more in love with you right now than ever before. But above all, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that I met you. Grateful for the time that we've had together. Grateful that you said yes. And, God, am I grateful that you're still here with me. If this past couple of years has taught me anything, it's that I can't take anything for granted. I almost lost you so many times, but even when it seemed absolutely hopeless, you came back to me. You fought like hell to come back, time and again. Every day when I wake up and see you lying there next to me, I thank God that I get another day with you. Because there was a time not so long ago when that wasn't a certainty. When I thought I might never get to tell you again how much you mean to me. And I'm so grateful that I was wrong._

 _I told you on our first day together in Savannah about the night I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. The night I thought I would have to resign from Rosewood High and leave you. I remember telling you that night that even though what you and I had together didn't look right, it had always felt right, and that I refused to let anyone change it into something that felt wrong. To some people, this still might not look right. But it feels more right now than ever before, and I refuse to let anyone tell me it's not. Because I know better. I know there is nothing more right than what you and I have together. In the past three years, we've been through more fear and heartache than most people experience in their whole lives. But we've also been given an incredible gift. We've been given the gift of the kind of love most people only dream of finding. There are things we share that no one but us could possibly understand. Memories that are uniquely ours._

 _I tried to figure out what I could give you as a wedding gift that would show you exactly what you mean to me and how much I love you. And, well, nothing came close. So I settled for reminding you of those memories. Of what we've shared together. It brings me more joy than you can imagine to know that this is just the beginning. We have our whole lives ahead of us to build on these memories. And that starts today. I'm counting down the seconds until I see you at the altar.  
With all my love,  
Ezra_

I set the note down and looked inside the gift box to find a white gold charm bracelet. He'd obviously spent quite a bit of money on it, because it was beautiful, not gaudy. And it was filled with charms to symbolize everything that was uniquely us. Things we shared that no one else would really understand. There was a book for literature. A pen for writing. The letter B and the numbers 2 and 6, with a smiley face separating the B from the 26 for "Happiness." A little Chinese takeout container for all the takeout we'd eaten in secret in his apartment (where in the hell had he even found that?). A comedy and tragedy mask for my failed attempt at stage managing the school play. A lighthouse for St. Augustine (the other major landmark besides the fort there was a beautiful old lighthouse). A key for our house. And of course he couldn't resist a nod to his days as my teacher with an apple.

I was laughing and crying at the same time while trying to put the bracelet on myself when I heard a knock on the hotel room door. Not ten seconds later, someone was unlocking it and opening it. And all of my friends were here. Kendra had the video camera rolling and Jordan and Alexis had their cameras at the ready and snapped candid shots the second they walked in the room. All five of my bridesmaids followed them in, along with Bailey and my mom.

"What's with the tears, Aria?" Hanna teased. "You're getting married today!"

"Everyone cries at weddings," I chuckled. "And the man I'm marrying just reduced me to a blubbering puddle of mush. Who wants to help me with this bracelet?"

"I've got it, honey," my mom said, fastening it for me. "This is beautiful. Though I don't get most of it."

"No one but me and Ezra would get most of it," I chuckled. "I guess the book and the pen are obvious. The takeout container was for all the times we had takeout in his apartment trying to hide from you and the rest of the world."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me of that," she teased.

"Anytime," I giggled. "I guess the apple is pretty obvious too."

"Teacher," Spencer chuckled. "Subtle."

I giggled again. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl right now.

"And the comedy and tragedy masks are for my failed attempt at stage managing the school play he was directing," I laughed.

"Oh, my God," Hanna giggled. "I remember that."

"That was a disaster," Emily laughed.

"What happened?" Alison asked. "I never heard this story."

"Oh, I only almost outed us to a quarter of the school," I said. "Though it didn't help that Ezra was picking fights with me the whole time because he was upset that I looked at a college in California."

"Is that what you and Ezra were trying not to laugh about on move-in day when you told me you tried stage managing and it didn't work out?" Becca asked.

"Yep," I giggled.

"So what are the rest of the charms for?" Jordan asked.

"The lighthouse is for St. Augustine, Florida. The place we've found to escape to that's a few hours away from Savannah. The key's for our house."

"Okay, and what's with the B and the 26? And the smiley face?" Spencer asked. "Or do we want to know?"

"He played B26 on the jukebox on the day we met. The song was 'Happiness' by The Fray. Hence the smiley face. And it's our song now. It has been from day one," I explained, blushing a little.

"Wow, you're a couple of dorks," Kendra teased. "But that's why we love you."

"Thanks," I chuckled. "Hey, speaking of B26, who's going to be the one getting the pictures of Ezra and his groomsmen before the ceremony?"

"Um, that'd be me," Jordan said, sounding confused. "Why?"

I went and grabbed Ezra's wedding gift out of my purse. I'd had to keep it hidden there because it was the one place he wouldn't look. It was a pair of cufflinks that were engraved with "B26." I figured they were something he could actually use more than just this once since he did wear cuffed shirts a lot, but something that would remind him of me whenever he saw them. And I'd written him a note that was every bit as sappy as the one he'd written me.

"Can you make sure he gets this?" I asked Jordan, handing her the gift box.

"Yeah, of course," she chuckled. "Is this as sappy as what he just gave you?"

"Kind of," I said. "It's a pair of cufflinks that are engraved with 'B26.'"

"What'd I just say? Dorks," Kendra laughed.

"I think it's sweet," Emily said. "It's a side of them we really haven't had a chance to see a lot of."

"You know, the charm that's missing on that bracelet is a puke bag," Becca teased.

All of my Savannah friends and I laughed. And everyone who wasn't from Savannah looked at us like we had three heads.

"Inside joke," Jordan said. "We tease them all the time that they're so cute it's nauseating."

"Aww," my mom chuckled. "Well, I guess we'll all get to see that in action today."

"So, fake mimosas, anyone?" Alison said, opening a basket that she'd been carrying. "I've got OJ and nonalcoholic champagne." She handed me the champagne bottle. "This is your day, Aria. Do you want to do the honors?"

"Sure," I said. I took the bottle from her and popped it. Thankfully, it didn't spray everywhere.

Alison took the bottle back from me and started making mimosas and handing them out, giving me the first one.

"Oh, and I got you ladies all a little something," I said.

I went to the closet and grabbed the bag of monogrammed oversized t-shirts I'd gotten for us to wear while we were getting ready. I'd thought of doing the "bride" and "bridesmaid" thing but I wanted them to be able to use them more than just for today. And, besides, I'd gotten shirts for my mom and for Alexis, Kendra, Jordan, and Bailey too. What was I supposed to put on theirs if not their initials?

"These are awesome, Aria," Emily said. "They look so comfy."

"Well, they're supposed to be for while we're doing hair and makeup today," I said. "Though I guess everyone else is going to have to wait to wear theirs."

"It's all good," Kendra said. "Thank you. It does look really comfy. It'll be an awesome nightshirt. Okay, so I'm going to go get some video of Wes getting Ezra drunk off his ass before the ceremony."

"Yeah, if you see that, I give you permission to beat the best man up," I laughed. "I'd like my fiancé sober for our wedding ceremony, if that's not too much to ask."

"I'll help her beat him up if it comes down to it," Jordan chuckled. "And by the way, I'm totally telling Ezra you were laughing and crying at the same time when we walked in this morning."

"Go for it," I told her. "Can you girls at least stay for breakfast though?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Kendra said, turning off the video camera.

"So this fake mimosa is awesome, but the real question is, who brought the coffee?" I teased.

"Got you covered," Spencer chuckled. "I brought the coffee maker from the barn. It'll be nice and fresh."

The morning and early afternoon seemed to fly by and take an eternity at the same time. Before I knew it, I was completely dressed and waiting in the office of the reception hall waiting to walk down the aisle. And I was all nerves. Not about the commitment or about the groom. I'd never been as sure of anything in my life as I was of Ezra. But about the ceremony itself? And about how I looked in my wedding dress? I was shaking in my stylish but practical heels. I took a breath and looked at myself in the floor-length mirror for the first time.

"Aria, you're going to blow him away," Emily told me.

"Yeah, you look amazing," Hanna said.

"Brides all over the world are in mourning because they don't look this good," Spencer teased.

"Let's get real though," Kendra said as she did a 360 with the video camera. "She doesn't have to put on a two thousand dollar dress and spend hours doing her hair and makeup to blow Ezra away. She blows him away just by waking up in the morning."

"How about we don't talk about that, honey?" Becca said, giving her fiancée a look.

"Oh, my God. Totally not what I meant," she gasped, sounding horrified.

"It's okay," I chuckled. "Ignoring what happened doesn't do anyone any good."

"Doesn't mean we have to dwell on it today, though," Alexis reminded me. "This is a day of love and happiness. No depressing thoughts. Look at me and smile, Aria."

I obeyed, then grabbed all of my bridesmaids for a couple of pictures.

"I know Jordan is getting pictures of Ezra and the guys, but can someone get her in here?" I asked. "We're missing an important picture. I need one with my Savannah girls. All of you."

"I'll text her," Becca said.

"And while we're waiting, individual bridesmaid picture time," Alexis said. "Becca, you're up first."

Becca came and posed with me, doing one traditional smiling picture and one goofy one where she was kissing my cheek. Which was even funnier given that she was out of the closet now. And I continued the one serious and one goofy picture trend with the rest of my bridesmaids too. Then I turned to Bailey.

"You're up, Bailey," I said. "Bring it in."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really," I chuckled. "And someone needs to take that camera from Alexis."

"I've got it," Kendra said as she set the video camera down and plugged it in. "I need to charge this for a little bit before I go film Ezra and the guys anyway."

She took the pictures of me with Bailey and Alexis, then posed for a couple with me herself. And I got another couple with both her and Becca. Almost on cue, Jordan walked in.

"Sorry to tear you away from taking pictures of a bunch of men who were probably complaining the whole time, but I need you in here for a minute," I teased.

"I'm not even going to lie, you should see your man's smile right now," Jordan said. "It's killing me, and he hasn't even seen how amazing you look yet. You look…I have no words."

"You should cheat and show her a picture," Alexis said.

"Nope," she chuckled. "They don't get to even see pictures of each other until she walks in that reception hall. Wes already tried that too."

"No fair," I giggled. "Now, come over here. I need a picture with you."

"Wait, I'm the photographer. I get immunity from being in pictures today," she tried.

"Nice try," Alexis chuckled. "You're also one of the best friends, which means pictures are happening."

"Fine," she said in mock exasperation, coming over and posing for a couple of pictures with me, following the tradition of one smiling and one goofy one.

"Okay, who can I trust with the expensive cameras to take pictures of all of us?" I asked.

"How about me?" my mom asked as she walked in the room. Almost immediately, tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, my God. Aria, you look incredible."

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "Come take the pictures of me with my Savannah girls, and then I need some with you."

"I thought that was happening after the ceremony," she said, wiping away her tears.

"The official ones are," I said. "These are just for fun."

"Okay," she chuckled.

We kept taking pictures for another few minutes, and then Kendra had to go get video of the groom's half of the wedding party and Jordan left to get in her spot next to the altar so she could get pictures during the ceremony. And my mom pulled a gift box out of her purse.

"You already look perfect, but I figured you could use something old and something blue," she said, handing me the box.

I opened the box to find a pair of vintage-looking teardrop earrings with sapphires as the main teardrop and a couple of diamonds leading up to the tops of them. They were gorgeous.

"These are the earrings I wore when your father and I got married," she told me. "But I replaced the diamond teardrops with sapphires."

"Mom, they're beautiful," I sniffled, wiping the couple of tears that had crept out away. "And you're going to make my mascara run."

"And that's why Hanna used waterproof mascara and eyeliner," Alison chuckled.

My mom and I laughed a little, and my mom helped me take the earrings I had been wearing out and put the ones she'd given me on instead.

"And the bracelet is new," my mom said. "Do you have something borrowed?"

"Yeah," I said. "The hair comb I'm using is actually Alexis's from her wedding. And she's getting it back."

"Okay," she said, taking a breath. "Seems like you're ready then."

I chuckled. "I'm having a little trouble breathing right now, but yeah, I'm ready. Wait. Becks, you have Ezra's ring and my vows, right?"

"What kind of maid of honor do you think I am?" she giggled. "Of course I have them."

"No bride has ever looked more beautiful," my mom sniffled. "I'll see you after the ceremony."

"T minus fifteen minutes and counting," Bailey said. "But Lex, we have a surprise for you first."

"For me?" Alexis asked.

"Yep," I said, grinning hugely.

Jacob had gotten two days of leave just to come back for the wedding. He'd begged and pleaded for it, and he'd thought they weren't going to grant it since he'd had to stay three weeks longer than he'd thought after Bailey got shot. But they approved it at the last second and he literally had time to attend the wedding and spend tonight with Alexis; he had to leave tomorrow morning. And Bailey and I were the only ones who knew. Even Ezra didn't know because I hadn't had a chance to tell him this morning, which was when I'd found out. I'd checked my phone after breakfast and found the message. And he'd just landed in Philly about two hours ago. So he'd had just enough time to get here and change into his ceremonial uniform.

"Hand me the camera, Alexis," I said.

"What is going on?" she asked as she obeyed.

I quickly moved so I could get a picture of her reaction to seeing Jacob.

"Bailey, why don't you go get the surprise?" I said, winking at her.

"I'll be right back," she said.

Bailey disappeared and returned a minute later with Jacob in tow. Alexis screamed with glee and then started crying as she ran up to him. It was pretty priceless. Jacob kissed her and then turned to look at me, smiling.

"You look incredible, Aria," he said. "I know this is supposed to be a happy day, but I haven't actually seen you since…well, you know. So I have to say how glad I am to see you conscious."

"Thanks," I chucked. "I'm so glad you could come."

"Me too," Jacob agreed, giving his wife another kiss. "I guess it's almost time, so I'll give you your photographer back. But hopefully she'll save a dance or two for me?"

Alexis just laughed and wiped tears from her eyes.

"I'll release her from her duties for a few dances," I promised.

Ten minutes later, I walked up to my dad right outside the doors of the reception hall. He grinned when he saw me.

"You look beautiful, Aria," he said. "You ready for this?"

"I'm a little nervous, but yes, I'm ready," I told him. "Just don't let me trip over my heels on the way to the altar."

"Never," he chuckled.

"Thanks for not trying to fight us on this," I said. "For trusting that I know what I'm doing."

"After everything the two of you have been through this year, I completely understand where you're coming from. I understood it back in December, and I understand it even more after what happened a few months ago," he said. "The kind of love I saw Ezra displaying towards you in the hospital while you weren't even conscious to see and appreciate it…I know it's going to last for the rest of your lives."

"I know it is too," I agreed.

"Just maybe hold off on having kids for a little while. I'm too young to be a grandfather."

"I'm not even thinking about kids until I graduate," I promised.

"That's my girl," my dad chuckled.

I smiled, and the music changed. It was time. I took a breath as the doors to the hall opened. My dad and I stood back as my bridesmaids walked down the aisle, one by one. As soon as Becca left our view, I started taking some deep breaths to calm myself. And then the music changed again to the traditional wedding march. I took one last deep breath and looked up as my dad and I approached the open doors.

I had never seen a smile this big on Ezra's face. Ever. And his smile was so infectious that I couldn't help but smile too. It made all of my nerves disappear completely. Made me remember why we were here. As my dad and I got to the altar, I was surprised when he didn't even hesitate for a second as he placed my hand in Ezra's.

"You're beautiful," Ezra whispered, bringing my hand up for a quick kiss as I stepped away from my father and towards him.

I felt myself blush a little.

"I love you," I whispered back. I'd been waiting all day to say that.

"Please be seated," Pastor Ted said as we turned to face him. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"Her mother and I," my dad said, then turned to go sit next to my mom.

"Ezra and Aria," Pastor Ted continued, "today you are surrounded by your friends and family, all of whom have gathered here to witness your marriage and to share in the joy of this special occasion. Today, as you join yourselves in marriage, there is a vast and unknown future stretching out before you. The possibilities and potentials of your married life are great and now falls upon your shoulders the task of choosing your values and making real your dreams. Through your commitment to each other, may you grow and nurture a love that makes both of you better people, a love that continues to give you great joy, and also a passion for living that provides you with energy and patience to face the responsibilities of life."

Alison, the last in my line of bridesmaids, was holding a microphone, and she spoke next. I had to stifle a giggle at the prank she and the rest of our friends had pulled off yesterday. That had been too hilarious. Just the kind of lighthearted fun we needed for that dull event.

"Literature plays a huge role in Aria and Ezra's relationship and in each of their lives individually," she started. "It was one of the things they connected over when they first met. And today, they gave each of us standing up here a passage about love to read. So I'm going to start with a quote from _Hamlet_. This is Aria's favorite Shakespeare quote. 'Doubt thou the stars art fire. Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar. But never doubt I love.'"

Spencer took the microphone. "This is a quote from _The Fellowship of the Ring_ by J.R.R. Tolkien. 'I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.'"

Then it was Hanna's turn. "This is from _The Princess Bride_ by William Goldman. 'Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.' Now, why didn't they put _that_ line in the movie?"

Everyone in the room, me and Ezra included, laughed a little as Emily took the microphone. I'd always wondered the same thing.

"Victor Hugo wrote this in _Les Misérables_ ," Emily said. "'To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life.'"

Becca was the last in my line of bridesmaids to take the microphone. And then it would be Ezra's groomsmen's turn. I couldn't wait to hear what he'd picked for them to read. We'd agreed not to tell each other what passages we'd chosen and just trust that there wasn't going to be any overlap. His idea, not mine. I'd asked him to tell me one night and he'd said he didn't want to. So I'd gone along with it. These passages were kind of like part of our vows because writing and literature played such a huge role in our relationship. We weren't going to tell each other what we'd written in our vows, so it hadn't made sense to tell each other what passages we'd picked for our attendants either. At least to us. And since it was our wedding, what made sense to us was all that mattered.

"Emily Brontё wrote this in _Wuthering Heights,_ " Becca said. "'Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.'"

Wesley walked around Ezra and grabbed the microphone from Becca.

"Thanks for this, Ezra. Everyone else gets like two sentences and you give me a whole paragraph," he said; everyone chuckled. "This is from _Jane Eyre_ by Charlotte Brontё. 'I have for the first time found what I can truly love–I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my center and spring of life, wraps my existence about you–and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.'"

Mike took the microphone next. "Okay, it's really weird to be reading this to my sister, but here goes."

More chuckling. I loved it. This was supposed to be a day full of love and happiness. There was no reason for it to turn into a somber occasion like a funeral. Besides, my vows were pretty deep and serious, and if I knew Ezra at all, his would be too. We needed a little lightheartedness to balance it out.

"This is from Henry James's _The Portrait of a Lady_ ," Mike continued. "'It has made me better loving you…it has made me wiser, easier, and brighter.'"

It was Caleb's turn next. "This is from _The Evolution of Mara Dyer_ by Michelle Hodkin. 'If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.'"

Toby took the microphone from Caleb. "This is from _Atonement_ by Ian McEwan. 'I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.'"

Mr. White was the last to read. "This is from Shakespeare's _As You Like It._ 'No sooner met but they looked; No sooner looked but they loved; No sooner loved but they sighed; No sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason; No sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy; And in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage.'"

I liked how Ezra had clearly purposely chosen a different Shakespeare quote. Because he knew me well enough to know that I'd be using the _Hamlet_ one. I hadn't even had to tell him. And God, was that quote perfect for us.

Pastor Ted stepped back up to the podium and turned to Ezra. This was really it.

"Do you, Ezra Fitz, take Aria Montgomery to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

Ezra had a grin on his face that could light up a stadium as he said the two words that would forever change his life.

"I do," he said, staring straight into my eyes.

"And do you, Aria Montgomery, take Ezra Fitz to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said, smiling and looking right into his eyes.

"You have for each other a golden ring," Pastor Ted continued. "This most precious of metals symbolizes that love is the most precious element in your life together. The ring has no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes that the love between you will never cease. You place these rings upon each other's fingers as a visible sign of the vows which, this day, make you husband and wife."

Ezra took a deep breath and turned to take my wedding ring and a copy of his vows from his brother. He took one of my hands in his as he read his vows to me.

"Aria, it feels like another lifetime ago that you were sitting in my classroom, not as my student, but as a guest speaking to my students and telling them the story of everything you went through in high school," he started. "None of us in that room knew what was about to happen. No one could fathom that a student in that high school would bring a gun to campus and start shooting her classmates. But, even though it feels like another lifetime ago, I remember as clear as day sitting there in my office cowering next to two dozen petrified teenagers and telling you that I loved you. And you told me not to start saying my goodbyes. That we were going to make it through that nightmare alive. And then I jeopardized that. I heard that student come into the classroom and threaten to kill you if I didn't go out and talk to her. I remember you telling me not to be a hero, that what you needed from me right then was for me to keep myself alive. And I went out there anyway. It was like your pleas with me, telling me to stay there with you, were falling on deaf ears. All I could hear was someone threatening you again, just like people have been doing since the day I met you. And just like I've done since the day I met you, my first instinct was to be a hero and protect you. I realized almost immediately, as soon as it was too late to turn back, that wasn't what you wanted. That what you wanted was someone who wasn't going to take stupid and unnecessary risks with his life. Someone you could count on to be by your side for the rest of your life. Intellectually, I understood that. But it wasn't until two weeks later, when I was sitting in a hospital room talking to you while you were lying there in a coma, when I was just hoping and praying that you could hear me, that you still knew who I was, that you were still in there somewhere, that it really sank in. I wouldn't wish the utter agony I went through for those couple of weeks on my worst enemy. And I never, ever want you to know what that felt like. So, I promise you right now, today, in front of God and all of these people, that you never will. No more heroics. No more making stupid and dangerous decisions that put my life in jeopardy. You've had enough uncertainty in your life. What you need now is a constant. Something you can count on to stay the same. And I promise, I'm going to be that constant. Every day for the rest of our lives, I will be right here by your side. And every day for the rest of our lives, I will make sure you know how grateful I am that you've chosen to share your life with me and let me love you. I promise not a day will go by that I don't make sure you know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much you mean to me." He slid my wedding ring on my hand. "Aria, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion to you. I am honored to call you my wife."

…Wow. That went beyond deep and serious. That was…I had no words. Just tears. I felt them welling up in my eyes, and I tried to keep them from falling, but I couldn't do it. Ezra smiled and wiped my tears away with his thumb, kissing my forehead. I melted into a huge puddle, as did the entire congregation, judging by the collective "aww" I heard.

I willed myself to stop crying and took a couple of deep breaths before turning to take Ezra's wedding ring and my vows from Becca. She was beaming and crying a little bit herself; she gave me a quick squeeze on the shoulder for encouragement before I turned back around. Then I took another breath before starting to read my vows to him.

"Ezra, you know better than most how much I've been through in my life," I started. "I've been through bullying, near-death experiences, assault, watching my friends almost die, and too many other things to count. Since that all started in my junior year of high school, I never really felt safe anywhere. Not at school, not at my friends' houses, not even at my own house. Except with you. I always felt safe with you. I would go over to that little shoebox apartment and know that as long as I was there with you, nothing bad could happen to me. I knew that even when I had people reminding me of the worst parts of myself and the worst things I'd ever done, you always saw the best parts of me. Even when the entire world was trying to tell me that I was unlovable, you loved me unconditionally. When my entire world fell apart, you were the one thing that kept me grounded. When I was kidnapped and tortured for three weeks and needed something real, anything real, to hold on to, I held on to you. I held on to the hope that you would find me. When I was lying completely still in that hospital bed, when I was trying so hard to come back to you, I held on to the hope that you wouldn't give up on me. That you'd be there waiting for as long as it took. For the entire time I've known you, you've been my safe place. My hope. And now it's my turn. I promise you, for the rest of our lives, I'll be your safe place. No matter what happens in the years to come, I will be right here next to you, and I'll make sure you feel as safe with me as I've always felt with you. I'll never judge you, just like you've never judged me, and I'll always make sure that you know how much I love and appreciate you and how grateful I am to be able to share my life with you." I slid Ezra's wedding ring on his hand. "Ezra, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion to you. I am honored to call you my husband."

And then Pastor Ted, who was wiping his eyes along with Ezra and the rest of the congregation, had only one thing left to say.

"And now, by the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I pronounce you husband and wife," he said, then turned to look at Ezra. "You may kiss your bride."

He didn't have to say that twice. Ezra's lips were on mine in under a second. I would never forget this moment for as long as I lived, even if I was old and senile in a nursing home. I would always remember the absolute love and adoration I felt coming through in this connection. And I would definitely remember him lifting me a foot in the air right there at the altar. He clearly couldn't contain his joy. But, unfortunately, I remembered that we had an audience when I heard the collective "aww" and laughter as he picked me up. I pulled back and looked at him.

"I love you so much," I whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back as he set me down.

Ezra gave me another, much briefer, kiss and then took my hand as we turned to face the crowd of family and friends who had come here to support us today.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ezra and Aria Fitz," Pastor Ted announced.

And with that, we walked arm in arm back down the aisle as husband and wife.


	28. Happiness

Chapter Twenty-Seven  
 _Happiness_

 **Aria**

As soon as we were out of the reception hall, Ezra pulled me into the first room he could find and shut the door behind us. I was a little confused since we were on a pretty tight schedule, but I wasn't going to complain. I wanted a second alone with him. He didn't say anything at first; he just turned back around and gave me the kiss he couldn't give me in front of our family and friends.

"Hi," he said, half laughing, when he finally broke the kiss a couple of minutes later.

"Hey," I giggled. "So, that happened."

He laughed. "How does it feel?"

"I don't know if it's really sunk in yet," I admitted. "But I've never been happier than I am right now."

"Me too," he agreed, giving me another kiss.

"Did you see Jacob made it?"

"No," he said. He sounded genuinely shocked. "That's amazing."

"I think Bailey and I were the only ones who knew," I told him. "I saw the Facebook message this morning. He surprised Alexis as she was taking the pre-ceremony photos with me and the girls."

"I'm surprised she was still conscious after that," Ezra laughed. "I'm glad he made it though."

"Me too. He's leaving first thing in the morning. Landed in Philly this afternoon and is staying for the night, but he has to leave bright and early to catch a flight back to Afghanistan."

"Talk about a godawful case of jet lag."

I laughed. "No joke. Worse than I had on the day we met."

Ezra laughed again and gave me another kiss. I tried to remember a time when I'd ever seen him this happy before, and I couldn't think of one. Not when I'd said yes to his proposal. Not when I'd said yes to not waiting to get married. Not when I'd said yes to moving in with him before the end of the school year. Never. This was literally the happiest I'd ever seen him, and I loved knowing that I had everything to do with it. I decided to make it my mission in life to make him this happy every single day.

"You know, as much as I want to just stay in here with you for the rest of the day, we should probably get out there," I sighed. "I'm sure Jordan and Alexis are waiting."

"I know," Ezra said. "I just couldn't let the first few minutes of our married life be in the middle of a crowd of people with our friends snapping a thousand pictures of us."

After Jordan and Alexis spent at least an hour taking pictures and we had dinner, Wesley walked up to the microphone on the bandstand. He took a deep breath and then spoke.

"So, as I was trying to come up with something to say about Ezra and Aria, I kind of ended up drawing a blank. My first thought was that I could of course embarrass the hell out of Aria and piss Ezra off by taking my millionth stab at their age difference and the fact that he used to be her high school teacher. But in all honesty, I think the fact that we're all here today shows that if two people really love each other and care for each other like my brother and new sister do, age is just a number. Then I thought I could talk about how I've never known a guy who is more of a hopeless romantic than Ezra. But let's be real. We all know Aria has _way_ better stories about that than I do. I also thought of telling a funny story about Ezra. But I found out that one of my fellow groomsmen has a much better story than I do. So I never thought I'd end up passing on giving the toast at my brother's wedding, but I'm actually going to turn this over to Aria's brother, Mike."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as my brother got up and walked to the bandstand. He'd managed to hijack the toasts after all. This was going to be interesting. And probably humiliating.

"Before I get started, I just want to say something," Mike chuckled. "Aria, Ezra had absolutely nothing to do with this. He didn't even know about it. So don't start your married life off wanting to kill him. He hasn't done anything to earn your wrath. At least not yet."

Everyone laughed, and Ezra grabbed my hand and kissed it.

"And Mom, Dad, don't get too mad at me for this, but I'm about to forever alter how you remember a pretty huge event in the Montgomery family history," he continued.

Wow. He was actually about to tell everyone, including our parents, why he'd really punched Ezra in the face a couple of years ago. That was…bold.

"Okay, so I think I'm going to be old and senile and still remember the day that Ezra and Aria stood in our living room telling our parents that they were a couple," he said. "I'll always remember how nervous Ezra sounded saying the words 'I'm in love with your daughter' to our parents. He had good reason to be. He'd been her teacher not four months before. And he admitted to them that they had been an item while he was still her teacher. That they'd met right before he started teaching her class and that neither of them expected to fall in love, but that it had happened. I remember Aria backing it up too. I'll never forget her looking Mom right in the eye and saying 'I love him,' not leaving a doubt in anyone's mind that she was serious.

"I was just as shocked as my parents were when I heard them telling their story. But the difference was this. While my parents were furious with them, I admired them. I admired my sister for being brave enough to let Ezra tell them the truth. I knew that hadn't been easy for her. Because let's be real. She knew our parents as well as I did. She knew they weren't about to accept her former teacher as her boyfriend and just let them continue on with their relationship. More than admiring my sister, though, I admired Ezra. I admired his courage in telling my parents, knowing just as well as Aria did what would happen. I admired him not wanting to hide their relationship anymore. Not being ashamed of my sister. Over the past couple years, I've seen Ezra do plenty of things to prove to Aria how serious he is about her and how much he loves her, but after that afternoon, I've never needed any other proof. That was all it took for me to accept that while their relationship is certainly not conventional, their feelings for each other are real. And I looked up to them. To him. I realized that Ezra was exactly the kind of man I wanted to be. Honest, courageous, and passionate about the people he loved.

"As I was processing all of this and I stood there listening to them talk, I looked over at my parents. And when I saw my dad's face, the phrase 'if looks could kill' came to mind. I had literally never seen him so angry. I was honestly afraid of what was about to happen to Ezra. So what did I do? I punched Ezra in the jaw. Hard."

Everyone started laughing. I couldn't be mad at Mike for doing this. Because the way he was telling this story was actually really sweet.

"Sorry about that, man," he said, turning to look at his new brother-in-law. "But I did it to save you from needing reconstructive surgery. And even you have to admit, it worked. Because all Dad did after that was kick you out of the house instead of use you as a punching bag."

More laughter. Surprisingly enough, even my parents were laughing. And so were Ezra and I. Mike was killing it.

"So, yeah, that's my story about Ezra. The one that was better than any of Wes's stories. Something tells me he just liked hearing about a teenage boy punching his brother so hard that he probably saw stars. But I've got another story to tell too. I'm sorry, Aria, but you're not getting out of being embarrassed tonight that easily."

I chuckled and put my head in my hands. I honestly had absolutely no idea what story he was about to tell about me. I heard Ezra chuckling too, and he pulled me close and kissed my hair.

"This is a quick story," Mike promised. "It was probably a month or two after that happened that Aria and Ezra were still sneaking around seeing each other. Aria was good. She'd even gotten a guy to play along and act like he was dating her. But I knew. And so did Mom. Mom wasn't thrilled, but she didn't say anything because she knew what would happen if Dad found out. I was more confused than anything else. I didn't get why she was still with him when this relationship had caused so much trouble. Not just for her, but for everyone in the house. And really, if we were being honest, for Ezra too. I remember one day Aria and I were talking, and I asked her if her relationship was so difficult, so much trouble, why she didn't just let it go. I told her that the odds of it working out seemed pretty hopeless. I'll remember her response word for word for as long as I live. Without as much as a pause, she said, 'Look, when you love someone, it's worth fighting for, no matter what the odds.' And, as it turns out, she was right. Because look where we are today. We're here celebrating the love that she fought so hard for.

"So, anyway, this is a toast. I guess I have to do the traditional thing, right?" Mike raised his glass of sparkling cider, and everyone else followed suit. "To Aria and Ezra, my sister and new brother. Two hopeless romantics who have shown me that real love is worth fighting for, even when the odds are stacked against you. I love you both, and I wish you a lifetime of the love that I've admired and looked up to since the day I found out about it."

He took a drink, and everyone else followed suit. Then he stepped down off of the bandstand, and Becca got up to go to the microphone. I wiped tears out of my eyes. That had been…well, very unlike Mike. And too sweet for words.

As my brother was walking back to his chair, I got out of mine and walked over to give him a hug. He caught me up in the tightest hug he'd ever given me.

"I love you, Mike," I said, sniffling a little bit.

"I love you too, Aria," he replied. "I couldn't be happier for you."

I chuckled and let my brother go. And I backed up to find Ezra right behind me, waiting to hug his new brother-in-law. I went and sat back down, realizing that Becca was patiently waiting until we were done with our displays of affection towards my brother before starting her toast. And as soon as Ezra sat back down next to me, she took a breath and began.

"When I think about Aria and Ezra, I don't think of a teenage girl who started dating her English teacher, who she met in a bar," Becca said. "I don't think about a guy who maybe didn't exercise quite enough self-control when he found out the girl he'd felt an instant connection to when he met her the day before was one of his students. I think about two people who are some of the kindest and most selfless people you'll ever meet. I'm probably about to embarrass both of them a little with this story, but since Mike did it first, I don't feel so bad now. But this story I'm about to tell is what helped me to see that even if the world tries to tell you it's wrong, there is nothing more right than true love, no matter what form it comes in.

"So, the day Aria told me the truth about her history with Ezra, I told her a secret of my own. I wanted her to understand that I had absolutely no business judging her because her love life was a little unconventional. Because I had enough shame of my own when it came to romance. I told her that I'm a gay girl who was raised in the Southern Baptist church. I'd been told my whole life that the way I felt about girls, now specifically about my fiancée Kendra, was wrong. Aria was the first person I came out to. And her reaction to it, still treating me like a normal person and not making me feel like I was different or weird, made me brave enough to actually try dating. Because of that, I found love for myself. I met someone who makes me come alive and brings out the best in me just like Aria and Ezra bring out the best in each other.

"Anyway, the day I came out to my parents, it was a few weeks before Thanksgiving. And my dad told me not to bother coming home for the holiday. That I was dead to him. I remember telling Aria that I think my dad would have rather heard that I was a murderer than that I was dating a girl. Aria texted Ezra to tell him they weren't going home either. And he showed up about twenty minutes later and just sat on the floor of a college dorm room with a bunch of girls for a couple of hours. And the two of them actually got me to laugh by telling me about Ezra's mom offering to pay Aria to break up with him and then all but disowning him when she found out they were engaged. Ezra and Aria ended up getting an entire Thanksgiving feast together and having me and a couple of other girls who decided to stay in Savannah with me for the holiday over to his place. They made sure that I knew I still had people who cared about me and accepted me, no matter who I was dating. Maybe it doesn't sound like a lot to some people, but when my own family was telling me that I was an abomination, when my little sister had to sneak away to call me because my parents apparently thought the gay would rub off on anyone who spoke to me, it was everything.

"I know I haven't known Aria and Ezra for as long as most of you here, but I can say for certain that I and the rest of our friends in Savannah have seen them in a very different light than their Rosewood family and friends. I've seen Aria not as a girl trying to hide her relationship with her English teacher, but as a girl head over heels in love with a guy. I've seen Ezra not as my teacher, which is how I know all of my fellow bridesmaids first knew him, but as a guy who is every bit as much in love with my best friend as she is with him. I've seen the two of them being sappy and romantic together, which is something I know a lot of you haven't really had a chance to see. And I've wanted to throw up a little watching it."

Everyone laughed, especially the Savannah crowd. Of course she'd brought up the running joke.

"I'm kidding," Becca chuckled. "It's actually really sweet and adorable. It's kind of a running joke in our group of friends that the two of them are so cute it's nauseating. But more important than that, I've seen the two of them stand by each other through thick and thin, through some of the toughest things life has ever thrown at either of them. They went through a lot of crazy stuff here in Rosewood, but in a lot of ways what happened to them this past year was even worse. And it scared both of them more than they wanted to admit. But through all of that, I never saw them fight. It was like everything that should have torn the two of them apart just brought them closer together. And I know this is supposed to be a happy day, but I have to bring up how heartbreaking it was watching Ezra for two weeks while Aria was lying in the hospital in a coma. He literally did not leave her room. Friends had to bring him food and coffee because he wouldn't even go to the cafeteria. He didn't want to leave because he wanted…no, that's not right…he _needed_ to be there when she woke up. Seeing how fervently he believed the girl he loved was still in there and that she'd come back to him was both heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.

"Some of you are probably sitting there thinking that Aria is crazy for getting married so young. Maybe you're thinking that she doesn't really know what she's in for. But I can assure you, she does know what she's in for. So does Ezra. And so do I. They're in for a lifetime of the kind of love that most people only dream of finding. I'm not worried about them making it or about this marriage lasting. I know they'll make it. Because the kind of love that I've seen this past year, it's the kind that's built to last a lifetime. I'm thrilled and honored to be here today and raising a glass to this union." Becca raised her glass and looked right at us. "To Aria and Ezra, two of the best friends I've made since I moved to Savannah. Two people who love and accept everyone for who they are, no matter what secrets they're hiding, and who have shown me that there is nothing more right than true love, no matter what form it comes in. I love y'all so much and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you."

Becca took a drink, and the crowd followed suit. And I wiped more tears from my eyes. Ezra took a deep breath and kissed my temple before standing up, grabbing his glass of champagne, and walking to the bandstand. He took the microphone from Becca and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before letting her come back to sit next to me. He'd clearly been every bit as touched by that speech as I had.

I gave Becca a hug as she sat back down.

"I love you too, Becks," I whispered.

She chuckled and rubbed my back, but didn't say anything.

"Wow," Ezra said. "I don't even know what to say, Mike and Becca. I'm touched. Deeply. I can assure you that Aria and I's feelings are mutual. We love you both. Though I'll have to remember to repay that favor you did me a couple of years ago sometime, Mike."

Everyone laughed. We all knew he was joking. He didn't have a mean or violent bone in his body. Except when it came to protecting me.

"Um, anyway, I'm probably about to embarrass you a lot more than your brother and your best friend just did, Aria," he chuckled nervously. "So I'm going to apologize in advance. I'm sorry. Just remember I love you and there's a point to me telling this story."

Everyone laughed, even me. I was actually a little curious which of the many stories from our past he was about to tell.

"Not too long after Aria and I met, she came with me to a bar where I was doing a reading of a short story I'd written," Ezra started. "I was feeling pretty awkward about her being there, mainly because she'd had to slip in under the radar since she was sixteen years old and it was _a bar_. But then my college roommate Hardy showed up, which made me feel even more uncomfortable with the situation. He noticed right away that Aria wasn't just my student. And of course he said something to me about it. I started acting differently after that and Aria noticed. When we got back to my apartment, she brought it up. We talked, and in the course of less than five minutes, my life changed completely. I told Aria that while I wanted to be with her, realistically, I didn't see how it was going to work. That, in theory, we were a lot more wrong than we were right. She told me to forget about theory for a minute and asked me how it felt when we were together, when it was just the two of us. I had to admit it felt good. Nothing had ever felt more right. Right then, in that moment, I didn't care what anyone else thought. But I started trying to logic myself out of it again. And apparently she has a gift for saying things that stick with people, because I remember what she said to me word for word, just like it was yesterday. She said, 'Look, we're here now, and it's just the two of us. And it feels good. So let's not care together.' And I couldn't fight how I felt anymore after that. At the time, I couldn't figure out whether I'd just made the best decision or the worst mistake of my life.

"It didn't take me long to realize that it was the former. That choosing to not care what the rest of the world had to say about us was the best decision I'd ever made. And I developed a new theory. That theory is Aria and I were supposed to meet that day, the day before I started teaching her class. We were supposed to connect over a song I played on the jukebox and our shared love of writing and literature before finding out that I was her English teacher.

"I'd never put much credence into the theory of 'soul mates.' The idea that there's just one person out there for each of us. But then I met Aria. And now, I absolutely believe that. Because there's no way I can imagine spending my life with anyone else. There will never be anyone else who makes me come alive the way she does. Nothing else will ever feel as absolutely right as this feels. I truly believe that some higher power conspired to bring Aria into my life that day. I almost left the bar right before she walked in. But something told me to stay for a little longer. So I stayed. Had another beer. Played B26 on the jukebox. And I met her. If I'd left that day before she came in, the first time I met her would have been a teacher meeting his student. And no matter how much we had in common, no matter how much her writing astounded me, I never would have seen her as anything other than a pretty girl who sat one row over from the windows behind the kid with the crazy fauxhawk."

My friends and I chuckled. Dan Farren's hair had been pretty obnoxious.

"When I was picking out passages for my groomsmen to read today, I came across this quote from _Doctor Zhivago_ ," Ezra continued. "And it says how I feel better than I ever could. So, I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride, my soul mate, not with my own words, but with the words of Boris Pasternak. Because I haven't embarrassed her enough already today."

Everyone laughed. I'd never actually read that book, though it was on my literary bucket list. So I had no idea what he was about to quote. But if it was going to embarrass me, it was either overly sappy or something I didn't want my parents to hear. Or both.

Ezra raised his glass. "Aria, I literally have no words to describe how much I love you and how honored and grateful I am that you've agreed to let me be a part of your life. Nothing I can say will even come close. So I'll let this quote say it for me. 'You and I, it's as though we've been taught to kiss in heaven and then sent down to earth together, to see if we know what we were taught.'"

There was a collective "aww" as everyone took a sip of champagne or sparkling cider. Becca hugged me and rubbed my shoulder as I wiped more tears away.

"Hey, just be thankful he didn't quote _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ," Wesley teased as Ezra came back to the table. "That would have been _really_ embarrassing."

"I'm sure her inner goddess is thrilled that he didn't," Jordan chuckled from behind us.

Everyone who could hear them laughed. I'd never read that book either. But the difference between it and _Doctor Zhivago_ was that I had no desire to read it. I'd heard plenty about it though. Jordan had been roped into reading it by another friend and told me I wasn't really missing out on much.

I turned to look at Ezra, who hadn't stopped grinning all night.

"I love you," I said, giving him a kiss.

"I love you," he replied when I let him talk. "Ready to dance?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I chuckled.

"Come on," he said, standing up and holding out his hand.

I took his outstretched hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. He looked a little too excited about this dance, and I wasn't sure why. He wasn't hugely keen on dancing. Though this was a pretty important dance. Maybe he was just excited for the symbolism of it.

"Alright, everyone, it's that time," Aiden said into the microphone from his deejay stand. "Time for the bride and groom to have their first dance as a married couple. Some might say this is the song that's responsible for us all being here today. It's the song Ezra played on the jukebox when they first met. B26, was it? Anyway, it's definitely not a song you'll ever hear as a first dance song at a wedding again. But it's theirs, and that's what matters. Here's 'Happiness' by The Fray."

As the familiar guitar intro played, I couldn't help thinking that it sounded different. In the recording, there was almost an echo in the beginning. It kind of sounded like someone recorded it into their computer from their garage and then just put that cut onto the album. For some reason, this sounded...too clean. But maybe it was just the sound system or the acoustics.

"Hey, guys, stop being nauseating and look at me for a second," Jordan teased after about ten seconds.

Ezra and I chuckled and turned to face Jordan so she could take our picture.

"Oh, my God!" I gasped, saying it so fast it sounded like one word.

I would have loved to see my face. I was sure it was pretty priceless. Because I had never been so surprised in my life. The reason this sounded different was because the curtain that had been closed on the bandstand was open now. And The Fray was actually here in this reception hall playing the song live. I'd been so focused on Ezra that I hadn't even noticed. And, I realized, he'd made sure my back was to the stage until the right moment.

Jordan was every bit the professional...just for long enough to snap a picture. Then she and Ezra started laughing and high-fived each other. I heard laughter coming from behind us and looked to find the entire wedding party, my parents, and the rest of our friends laughing with them. Of course they'd all been in on it. The band smiled and chuckled too. They were obviously loving this.

Me? I started laughing and crying at the same time. This was...I didn't even know what this was. Besides completely over the top. And one hundred percent Ezra. He'd move heaven and earth to see me smile. And apparently do God knew what and pay God knew how much money to have our favorite band crash our wedding.

"How...you know what? Never mind," I said. "I don't want to know."

Ezra laughed again as he pulled me back in for our dance and kissed me.

"Surprised?" he chuckled.

"That's the understatement of the century," I giggled, wiping away my tears. "And you say _I'm_ good at keeping a poker face. You and Jordan deserve Oscars. And Aiden for that matter."

"Well, the only time I _can_ surprise you is when I do things like this," he teased. "You're too good at reading me with the small stuff. So my only option for surprising you today was to do something over the top."

I kissed him again. "You're crazy. You do know that, right?"

"You're just now figuring that out?"

"Oh, no, I already knew."

"And you married me anyway," Ezra chuckled again.

"What was I thinking?" I teased.

That earned me another kiss.

"I love you so much," he said, pulling me even closer.

"I love you too," I told him. "I do have to say, though, this makes the cuff links I gave you look like little pieces of tin. You don't know the meaning of low-key, do you?"

"When it comes to the woman I love? No, I don't. And for the record, I'll never use another pair of cuff links for the rest of my life. Though when I first opened them I thought you'd somehow figured this out."

"No, I had no idea exactly how appropriate they were," I chuckled.

I was shocked that I was capable of holding an intelligent conversation right now. I was still completely flabbergasted. But the fact that I could still have a conversation with Ezra after what had just happened only cemented in my mind how right this was. How right we were. It was natural and easy with him, like breathing. It wasn't forced.

But I didn't want to ruin this entire dance with conversation. So I just rested my head on Ezra's chest and sighed in absolute contentment. He squeezed me tight and kissed my hair. Of course Jordan and Alexis were snapping pictures like nobody's business. And so were most of the guests.

As soon as the song was over, Aiden spoke again, still every bit the deejay.

"They'll be back in a few minutes, folks," he said. "That's the Grammy-nominated band The Fray. And to everyone who managed to keep a straight face, Ezra would like me to convey his thanks. Speaking as one of those people, I know it was darn near impossible."

Everyone laughed, and Ezra and I walked up to the stage. Isaac Slade, the lead singer of the band, got up from his piano bench and walked up to the edge of the stage, then jumped down onto the floor.

"Hey, Aria," he said, holding out his hand, which we both shook. "Thanks for letting us crash your party."

I laughed. "Well, it's Ezra you should be thanking, since I knew nothing about it. But you are more than welcome. Thank _you_."

Wow. I'd gotten a coherent sentence out. More than one, actually. And I'd managed not to go psycho fangirl on him. I was pretty impressed with myself.

"It's our pleasure," he said. "Your new husband here made a pretty good case. Seriously, that song was in a jukebox?"

Ezra and I both chuckled. I'd always thought it was a random song to be in a jukebox too. But it was fate. At least that was how I saw it.

"Probably the only jukebox that had it," Ezra said, kissing my head.

"I have to say this gig is definitely one for the books," Joe King, the band's other founding member, said, walking up next to Isaac and holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you guys. Congrats."

"Thanks," I chuckled as I shook his hand.

We talked to the band for a few more minutes. And I was glad to see that they were actually a really nice bunch of guys. I knew a lot of people got disillusioned when they met their favorite actors or musicians, but that definitely didn't happen here. All of them were warm, friendly, and genuinely happy to be here. Of course, Jordan took our picture with them. And their wedding gift to us was a signed vinyl copy of _The Fray_ , the album "Happiness" was on. Each of the band members had written a short personal message on the cover before signing it. Because just being here apparently wasn't enough of a gift. Yeah…that was never getting played. It was getting framed with the picture we'd taken with them and hung up in a prominent place.

"You guys mind if we play a few more songs since we're here?" Isaac asked.

I laughed. "You actually think we'd say no?"

"Alright, then," he chuckled. "We'll see you guys later."

Ezra and I walked back over to our table, where Becca was sitting there grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay, how long have you had to keep that to yourself?" I asked her.

She giggled. "Since spring break. I have no idea how I did it."

A realization hit me.

"Oh, my God," I chuckled. "I wasn't being paranoid that day after Mr. Thomas's trial."

"Nope," she said, still grinning. "We _were_ plotting something."

"It's a good thing Hanna was a thousand miles away from you," Caleb teased. "Because if you'd been in the same town, there's no way she would have been able to keep it from you. She actually squealed when she got the Facebook message from Ezra. I don't think I've ever heard that exact sound come out of her before."

I laughed. That sounded exactly like her.

"For the record, I did too," Spencer giggled.

"Yeah, there was a reason you got radio silence from most of us until you got here," Alison chuckled.

"Those of us who were actually in the same town deserve an award," Jordan said as she walked up to us and hugged me. "I have no idea how we managed to keep the secret. Besides being threatened with bodily harm if we told."

I laughed again trying to imagine that conversation. The idea of Ezra threatening bodily harm to my friends if they ruined the surprise was hilarious.

"No joke," I told her. "You guys deserve Oscars. Especially you, Ezra, and Aiden."

She giggled, and Ezra wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my head. I still couldn't believe he'd done this solely to see the smile on my face. Well, yes I could. It was still a lot to wrap my mind around, though.

"Your face was priceless," Mike laughed. "And thanks to your attentive photographers and some of us with cell phone cameras, it's captured on film for all eternity."

"And video," Kendra added as she joined the group. "You better believe I kept that video camera going."

"Great," I chuckled. "I'm sure it'll be awesome blackmail material."

"It's definitely something I'll be showing my future nieces and nephews one day," Mike teased.

"Hopefully that won't happen for at least a few years," my mom said. "I'm too young to be a grandmother."

"Not even thinking about it until I graduate," I repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Your reaction _was_ priceless, though," she agreed. "I don't think I've ever seen that look on your face before."

"I'm pretty sure no one has," Ezra laughed, kissing my cheek.

I turned my head for a real kiss; he seemed only too happy to oblige.

There was a tap on the microphone and everyone looked at the stage. Kendra immediately turned back into the videographer and started rolling the camera again. The band was back in place.

"Congrats again to the happy couple," Isaac said from his spot at the piano. "And thanks for letting us crash the party. That's the most fun we've had at a gig in years. Anyway, Aria and Ezra agreed to let us play a couple more for you guys, so in keeping with the theme of songs you'd never expect to hear at a wedding…here's a song about a breakup."

Everyone laughed. I had a feeling I knew what song they were going to play. The song everyone knew them for. Which I actually did like a lot. And I was right. The piano chords of "How to Save a Life" started, which got even more laughter from the people who recognized it. Which would have been anyone who watched _Grey's Anatomy_.

The rest of the reception passed relatively normally. Other than the forty-five minute mini-concert we got from our favorite band. There was nothing normal about that. But there was plenty of dancing, cake cutting, Ezra and I making a mess feeding each other, the bouquet toss (which, ironically, Becca caught), and the garter toss (which my brother caught, to much laughter).

As amazing and unforgettable as our wedding day had been, what I was most looking forward to was being able to go back to our hotel room with my new husband tonight and know that we had our whole lives ahead of us to be together. Oh, who was I kidding? After all the surprises Ezra had managed to pull off today, he was definitely getting lucky tonight. Or maybe I was the one who got lucky. He'd always been sweet and passionate in bed before, but tonight was…I had no words. And I decided not to even try to come up with any. I almost didn't want to fall asleep afterwards because I was afraid that I would wake up to find out I had dreamed this entire day. But eventually I fell asleep wrapped in his embrace.

I woke up the next morning to find Ezra already awake and watching me sleep, just like he always did. But I'd never seen this look on his face before. It was a mixture of love and adoration and awe and something else I couldn't quite name. I was so glad we'd decided to leave for Italy later tonight instead of first thing this morning. Because now we could just enjoy our first morning as a married couple without having to rush out the door to catch a flight.

"Morning," he said quietly, kissing the tip of my nose.

"Mm," I sighed, scooting closer to him; almost immediately I found myself in his cocoon-like embrace.

"So, has it sunk in yet?" he asked.

"I mean, I seem to remember something about yesterday. I think I said the words 'I do' at one point," I teased. "You?"

He chuckled and tilted my chin up for a kiss.

"I don't think it'll ever really sink in," he said. "Because I'm still trying to figure out how I got this lucky."

"I'm the lucky one," I told him, giving him another kiss. "But I have a confession to make."

"What?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"I _was_ just hitting on you the day we met when I said I thought I'd like to teach," I teased. "I have no idea how you put up with teenagers all day, every day."

He laughed. "Well, if we're telling the truth about the day we met now, I've never actually been to Reykjavik."

I mock gasped. "Lies. Our entire relationship is based on lies."

Ezra laughed again as he kissed me for what felt like the hundredth time and rolled us over so he was above me.

"I actually did play B26, though," he said, still chuckling.

I just looked at him for a second, trying to really let it sink in. I was married to this man. The man I had fallen head over heels in love with from the second I'd met him. Somehow, making out on a bathroom counter had evolved into lying in bed the morning after our wedding less than three years later and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that we would be together for the rest of our lives.

 **(Author's note: I have to give credit where it's due. The idea for having Ezra surprise Aria by having The Fray crash their wedding actually came from a viral video I watched one day while I was bored where a groom actually did surprise his bride by having their favorite artist crash their wedding and sing their first dance song live. It was the sweetest thing ever. Oh, and by the way, if you've never actually heard the famous B26, give it a listen sometime. It's actually a pretty great song. Though a tad depressing.)**


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _ **Three Years Later**_

 **Aria**

I was absolutely exhausted as I pulled up to the house after taking my last final. I couldn't believe I was graduating next week. I'd kept my promise to my parents and Ezra. I had finished school and kept my grades up. And if something was worth doing, it was worth overdoing. Not only had I kept my grades up, I was actually the class valedictorian. Easy to do when my husband was supporting me and had all but plugged his ears when I'd mentioned getting a job and helping out with bills.

That was until Jordan and I had started up our own independent photography studio last summer, which was actually proving pretty lucrative. It was the brainchild of an economics project she and I had worked on together where we'd had to come up with a business plan for a start-up business…and realized that, with a small loan for start-up expenses, we could pull it off. Rather than us getting a loan though, Ezra had dipped into his trust for the start-up expenses, like the studio space and some equipment we didn't have yet. I'd complained about it, but he'd just made a sarcastic remark that if it made me feel better I could pay him back with interest (though I knew he wouldn't take a dime, especially not since some of the income was coming back into our household anyway). We'd started it over the summer rather than waiting until we were done with school because we figured we would need time to build up a clientele and actually be profitable.

We'd been shocked at how quickly we were overwhelmed with work pretty much every second we weren't at school. We'd even had to turn down some jobs this past month because we'd been too busy with schoolwork to do them. Word of mouth really was the best advertisement anyone could ask for. At first, Kendra had just occasionally joined us on jobs either as a third photographer or a videographer when we needed it. But we'd offered her a full share in it recently, because the work was getting to be more than just Jordan and I could handle, and she'd accepted enthusiastically. Alexis had already joined us too, but was on maternity leave at the moment. She and Jacob had had their first child a little less than a month ago, an adorable baby girl named Aria Elaine, after me (obviously—I'd been floored when they'd asked me) and Alexis's mother. That little girl was going to be the most spoiled kid in history, because we all loved her to pieces, especially her Aunt Bailey (who was just finishing up her sophomore year at Georgia State as an education major).

Becca had been offered a job as a drama teacher at Jenkins starting next year (since they'd decided to expand their arts programs and needed more teachers), which she'd accepted. Ezra had been so proud of her, and was thrilled that he was going to have a friend joining the staff with him. Me? I was just glad that all of my best friends from Savannah were staying here after school was over.

Speaking of Ezra's job at Jenkins, he was still teaching. He'd turned down the administration position because he didn't think he was cut out for a desk job. What he loved was interacting with his students, who were truly an incredible bunch of kids. When he'd returned to work the fall after we got married (after being gone for the last month and a half on his FMLA leave), he'd found that every single one of his former students had pitched in to get him a wedding/welcome back gift: a first edition copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ , which he kept in a dustproof display case in his office at school (it was, after all, over three hundred years old). Bailey had been the one to organize it, collect the money, and pick the gift out, saying she'd chosen it because he'd managed to make a book no one thought they'd like interesting and fun. And they'd gotten us one of those huge oversized wedding cards, signed from the substitute who had taken over teaching his class for the remainder of the previous year and every single student in every one of his classes. They'd planned it the second they heard that I'd woken up from my coma and the wedding was still on, and worked on signing the card over the last month to make sure everyone got a chance to sign it. He'd been moved to tears, or so I'd heard from Bailey, who was the one to deliver the gift and card to him.

On the more personal side of things, I was going to be a maid of honor (technically it was matron of honor since I was already married, but that made me sound like a middle-aged woman) in not one, but two weddings this summer. Becca and Kendra had decided to wait for a while to tie the knot, because it had taken Becca a while to work up the nerve to tell her parents and sister about being engaged. They'd set a date for early this summer, in June. And I hadn't been a bit surprised when Becca had asked me to be her maid of honor. Becca's sister was one of her bridesmaids and her mom was coming, but she still hadn't managed to make any progress with the rest of her family. Jordan and Aiden had gotten engaged last year and they were also getting married this summer, in August. And I was also Jordan's maid of honor. The couples had purposely spaced their weddings out so we could all be at both of them, because Becca and Kendra were both in the bridal party for Jordan's wedding, and Jordan was going to be Kendra's maid of honor.

I had a feeling there might be an issue with Jordan's wedding though. Something told me I might not fit into my bridesmaid dress. Because I'd figured out earlier this week that my period was a week late. Part of me knew it was irresponsible, but I'd put taking a pregnancy test on the back burner until I was done with finals. But that was the first thing on my to-do list when I walked into the house today. I'd bought not one, not two, but three pregnancy tests. And I was going to take every single one of them. I thought about waiting until Ezra got home from work, but I was too anxious. Not really nervous, just anxious. Anxious to know one way or the other.

As soon as I opened the door, I was almost knocked over by Scout, the black lab Ezra and I had adopted as a puppy right after we'd gotten back to Savannah from our honeymoon. She'd been a rescue they'd found walking around on the street without a collar or tag, and it had been love at first sight when we met her. She didn't have a name, so I'd named her after the character in _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , and it turned out the name fit her personality perfectly.

"Hi, sweet girl," I laughed as she jumped up on me and gave me kisses. "Miss me?"

Ezra and I had tried to break Scout of her habit of jumping up on people, but it was hopeless. She just got too excited whenever people walked in the door. Though she always calmed down after a few minutes. And luckily, none of our friends minded it (thankfully, they also didn't mind black dog hair on their clothes, because it seemed like every time we vacuumed, she would shed off an entire coat of fur all over again just to spite us).

I let Scout out back for a few minutes, and then I headed upstairs to take the pregnancy tests. It seemed like she could tell I was anxious about something, because she didn't leave my side. Even when I shut the bathroom door to keep her from coming in there with me, I heard her lay down right outside door. I took a deep breath and then peed on all the sticks. I put them all in one of the boxes and set the timer on my phone for five minutes, just like the instructions said.

I wandered out of the bathroom and for some reason, I found myself going into the guest room and trying to imagine how we would turn it into a nursery. I was that sure there would be two lines on those sticks. I couldn't explain it. I just… _knew_. I'd stopped taking my birth control pill and had given up coffee this whole week just in case I was right. Final exams on four hours of sleep a night and no coffee had been…interesting, to say the least.

I sat down on the bed and waited for the timer on my phone to go off. And as I waited, I couldn't help but think of the irony. When Ezra and I had first gotten married, I had told everyone who asked me that I wasn't even thinking about having kids until I graduated. Well, here I was graduating next week, and I was waiting on the timer to go off on my phone to tell me if I was in fact pregnant. Before I knew it, the timer was beeping, and I took a deep breath and looked. And sure enough, the tests were positive. Every. Single. One.

Honestly, I had expected to feel scared or anxious or at least nervous about finding out I was pregnant. After all, I was still young. I was only twenty-two. What did I know about being a mother? Ezra and I had started talking about kids earlier this year, but it was kind of in the future tense. Like maybe someday soon we might start thinking about it. As I looked at those sticks with two lines on them, though, all I could feel was a deep, overwhelming joy. I was carrying the love of my life's child. I realized that no one really knew what they were doing the first time around. But we'd figure it out. We always did whenever we were thrown something new or different in life. And suddenly, I couldn't wait for Ezra to get home so I could tell him. I knew he'd be happy about it too.

About ten minutes later, I heard the front door unlock, and apparently the only thing that could tear Scout away from me right now was the sound of a key in the lock. She bolted out of the room and down the stairs as the door opened. I thought about getting up to greet Ezra too, but almost as soon as I thought of it, I realized I could use the fact that I was in this room to tell him our news.

"Hey, Scout," I heard Ezra laughing. "Where's your mom?"

He walked up the stairs and I guessed he looked in the bedroom first, which would be the obvious place for me to be.

"Aria?" he called.

"In here," I said.

He walked in the room a few seconds later holding a huge bouquet of red roses, I assumed to celebrate me being done with finals. I had to smile. He was always sweet and thoughtful like that.

"Hey," he said as he set the flowers down on the dresser and walked over to give me a kiss.

"Hey," I responded. I sounded as exhausted as I felt.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked me.

"Besides spacing out in a post-exam daze?" I chuckled. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"The fact that this room is pretty pointless," I started. "No one ever uses it when they come to town. My parents and both of our brothers are coming in next week for my graduation and they're all staying in hotel rooms."

"That is true," he chuckled, kissing my head. "Well, we could always repurpose it. What do you think we should do with it?"

"It's not so much what we _should_ do with it as what we _need_ to do with it," I told him.

He looked thoroughly confused. What could I say? As incredible a husband as he was and as good as he was at reading me, at the end of the day he was still a man. And a little dense at times.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I took a deep breath. This was it.

"I mean it would appear that we need to turn this room into a nursery," I said.

Ezra's eyes got as big as saucers for a split second. And then a smile even bigger than the one I'd seen on our wedding day spread across his face and he kissed me with enough passion to set the whole house on fire. I had to laugh a little when he finally broke the kiss a minute later.

"I love you so much," he laughed, then kissed me again.

I giggled. "I love you too."

"Wait a second," he said. "How long have you known?"

"Do you actually think I'd keep a positive pregnancy test from you?" I asked. "I just took the test…well, tests, today. Like twenty minutes ago. I was going to wait for you to get home but I was too impatient. But I will admit that I realized at the beginning of this week that I was a week late. I put taking this test on the back burner until I was done with the tests that determined my ability to graduate. I did give up coffee and stop taking my pill just in case though. And let me tell you, exams on four hours of sleep a night and no coffee _sucked_."

He laughed again. "I can imagine. You sure you passed them?"

"Well, the one I took today was questionable," I teased.

He chuckled and kissed me again. The kiss deepened almost immediately, and before I knew it, he was laying me down on the bed. Because that was a normal response to finding out his wife was pregnant, right? But I wouldn't complain. I kind of needed this after the stress of this week.

I giggled and pulled his tie off, then got to work undoing the buttons on his shirt. As soon as his shirt was off, I felt him kick off his shoes and socks. And then he lifted me back up just long enough to take my shirt and bra off. As I laid back down on the bed, he just stayed there looking at me for a second, like he was completely in awe of me. I had to smile. The way he always looked at me while we were in bed was…I had no words. Every girl deserved someone who looked at them like this. I pulled him back down and kissed him again.

"I love you," I said quietly when I broke the kiss to catch my breath.

"I love you," Ezra whispered back.

He kissed me again, as soft as a whisper, before starting to trail kisses down my neck and upper body. When he got to my stomach, he just stopped for a second, looking at it, before running his hand over it, almost like a caress, and kissing it.

"And I love you," he whispered, barely audible, then kissed my stomach again. "More than you'll ever know."

I melted. He was going to be an amazing father. I knew it already. I'd known it all along. And somehow I also knew that, no matter how crazy our lives got, a child wouldn't change anything between us. We'd always have this. The chemistry. The fire and passion that had been present in our relationship from day one. Having a baby wouldn't make us love each other any less. Our love for each other would be one of our strengths as parents, not one of our weaknesses.

I woke up wrapped in Ezra's embrace. Judging by the fact that he was still undressed, I had a feeling he'd just laid there and held me while I slept. Which made me melt all over again. I kind of felt bad for falling asleep almost right after we'd finished our bedroom activities, but I really had been exhausted.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Ezra chuckled.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"About an hour," he said, kissing my head.

"Why'd you let me sleep? I'll never sleep tonight now."

"I figured you'd earned a nap. After taking all your exams without a single drop of coffee. How in the hell did you manage that?" he teased.

"Because it wasn't about me," I sighed. "I have no idea how I'm going to keep that up for the next eight months or so, though. I'm not even going to lie, I've had a killer caffeine headache the last few days."

"You know decaf still has some caffeine in it, right?" he said, kissing my head again. "That's worth a shot. Might be enough to keep the migraines at bay."

"We'll have to pick some up next time we go to the store," I sighed.

"We'll have to pick up a Keurig too. There's no way I'm letting that crap contaminate my coffee pot," he teased.

I laughed. "Wow. So you're going to spend over a hundred dollars on a machine plus an insane amount of money on the coffee itself just to keep decaf out of your coffee pot?"

"And so I can still have normal coffee," he chuckled, tilting my chin up for a real kiss.

"Fair enough."

"So, are you coherent enough that we can talk about something else that kind of ties in to this?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I'm wide awake," I promised. "What's up?"

"Well, Carl Young announced today that he's retiring at the end of the school year," he said. "And Mark approached me again about taking the dean position."

When Ezra had turned down the dean position a few years ago, Mr. Young had taken the position instead. Which really had been a perfect fit. He'd had more experience, but cared every bit as much about the students at Jenkins as Ezra and Mr. White did. But Mr. Young hadn't been getting any younger, and his health had been going downhill fast. And as a matter of fact, he'd had a minor heart attack over the summer. From what I'd gathered whenever we socialized with the Whites, Mr. White had kind of seen this coming.

"And what did you tell him?" I asked.

"I told him I had to think about it. And I've been doing nothing but thinking about it while you've been sleeping. A baby changes things. Even though I still love teaching, it's not just about what I want anymore. And the pay raise would help a lot," Ezra said.

"You do remember the part where I'm graduating next week and already have a successful business of my own, right?" I reminded him. "You know the studio has jobs booked for pretty much the entire summer already. We're going to have two incomes, not just one and a half anymore. And don't you _dare_ tell me that you don't want me to have to work. Because this isn't the 1950's."

"I wouldn't dream of telling you that," he chuckled. "Especially not when you can kind of make your own schedule. Not completely, but a little bit."

"My point is, we'll do just fine no matter what you decide," I finished. "Think about the job offer. Think long and hard about it. Use me as a sounding board all you want. But promise me you're not just going to see dollar signs. I don't want you to take this job just because of the pay increase and end up miserable at work."

"I have mentioned that I love you, right?" he said, laughing a little bit.

"Once or twice," I chuckled. "You know, I really should get up and put those flowers in water."

"And I was going to take you out to dinner to celebrate your finals being over, but something tells me you'll fall asleep at the table," he teased.

"Hey," I giggled, picking my head up from his shoulder to look at him.

Ezra just laughed again and let go of me so I could get up and get dressed again. His smile was seriously killing me right now. It was too much. I loved how happy this news had made him.

"So are we keeping this to ourselves for a little while or can I tell Jordan and Kendra tomorrow while we're on the way to that wedding gig?" I asked him.

"I don't know if I _can_ keep it to myself," he said as he got up and put his clothes back on. "At least not with our family and close friends."

"Not to mention that there's a very real possibility that I won't fit into my bridesmaid dress in August," I chuckled. "Jordan deserves to know that."

He laughed a little and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing my shoulder. I leaned back into his embrace and sighed, completely content. Even after all this time, sometimes it still amazed me that I'd actually gotten this lucky. Most people went their whole lives without finding this kind of love. And I'd found it at sixteen years old.

"We actually do need to get changed and leave soon," he told me. "I made a reservation for tonight at Elizabeth last week."

I shook my head. "You realize that was completely unnecessary, right?"

"It's very necessary. You're done with school. Like, actually done. That calls for celebration. And I seem to remember you telling me about another reason we have to celebrate a little while ago," he countered, kissing my temple.

I turned around to face him and wound my arms around his neck.

"What did I do to deserve you?" I sighed.

"I think you have that backwards," Ezra chuckled as he kissed me for the millionth time since he'd been home.

Over dinner, Ezra and I talked more about his job offer, weighing the pros and cons. In the end, he decided to accept the job. As much as he loved teaching, he loved me and our son or daughter who was on the way more. And he wanted the stability the job offered, and to be able to give us a comfortable life. After all, in a business like mine, we could have slow times when we weren't doing so well. We might not always be completely booked for months straight. He wanted to be able to carry the weight during those times. He really did try not to use his trust unless he had to. He was saving it for retirement one day. Which, even as young as we both were, was smart. Because it meant he didn't have to take money out of his paycheck for a 401k. The only deduction he had made from his paycheck was for our health insurance (which, thankfully, had decent coverage for prenatal care). But I still made him promise me he wasn't doing this just for the money, that this was actually what he wanted. I cared more about his happiness than I cared about money.

Jordan picked me up bright and early the next morning because she, Kendra, and I were carpooling to the wedding we were photographing. She turned her head and tried to hide her chuckling as Ezra kissed me goodbye.

"You know, I keep waiting for you two to make it out of the honeymoon phase," she teased. "You still act like newlyweds. It's adorable. Nauseating as always, but adorable."

"So are you and Aiden," I shot back. "And I somehow doubt that's going to happen for a while. So does photographing weddings get you excited for your own?"

"Absolutely," she giggled. "Does it bring back memories for you?"

"Of course it does. Especially of you and Ezra pulling off the surprise of the century. Almost three years later, I still have no idea how you did it."

"He never did share his secrets with me. Okay, what's with your look right now? You're, like…glowing. You can't be _this_ happy about photographing a wedding. We've done this like fifty times already," she said, giving me a sideways glance as she drove.

"Well, I have to tell you something that might be inconvenient for you," I started.

"Don't tell me something came up and you can't be my maid of honor."

"Oh, I can still be your maid of honor. But I'll probably have some issues fitting into the dress."

We stopped at a red light and Jordan turned to look at me.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "You're pregnant."

I nodded. "Yep."

She squealed and hugged me, and I laughed as I returned the hug.

"Eyes on the road, Jordan," I giggled.

She turned back just as the light switched back to green.

"Oh, my God," she repeated. "How long have you known?"

"For sure, yesterday. But I realized I was late at the beginning of this week. I put off taking the pregnancy test until after finals. I just had too much else on my mind."

"And it could just as easily have been stress. Final projects and exams are stressful."

"I didn't even think of that. But I'm pretty sure three different positive results is conclusive," I told her.

"You _would_ have taken three tests," she chuckled. "So how does Ezra feel about this?"

"Remember his smile on our wedding day?"

"Yeah?"

"Think that, times ten," I told her. "I died a little. It was too adorable."

"Aww. Congrats. I'm so happy for you guys."

"I always thought I'd be nervous or scared whenever I found out I was pregnant, but I'm not at all. I'm just…completely overjoyed. Is that weird?" I said.

"No, it's not. You have an incredible husband who is going to be loving and supportive while you're pregnant and is going to do everything he can to help you give your kid everything he or she needs to succeed in life. Ezra is going to be an amazing father," she told me. "So you know you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, he is. And nothing to worry about except what we're going to do about my bridesmaid dress," I chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure the bridal shop can help with that," Jordan said. "And be prepared for even worse squealing than you got from me when we pick Kendra up and you tell her and Becca in about three minutes. Now I wish I had earplugs."

"Oh, I'm prepared," I laughed.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to Becca and Kendra's apartment. We walked up and knocked on the door and Kendra answered almost immediately.

"Hey, guys," she said, walking out the door. "You ready?"

"Um, actually, where's Becca?" I asked. "I have something to tell both of you."

"Still asleep," Kendra said. "How important is it?"

"Scale of one to ten? A twenty," Jordan said. "Trust me."

"Let me wake her up, then," Kendra chuckled. "Come on in."

Jordan and I followed Kendra back into the apartment and sat on the couch, and a few minutes later were greeted by a yawning Becca coming out of the bedroom in her pajamas.

"This better be good for you to wake me up this early on the morning after finals," Becca teased. "What's going on?"

"Um, I have some news," I said. "I just found out yesterday, and I want my closest friends to be the first to know."

"What kind of news?" Kendra asked slowly.

She didn't miss a thing. I could tell she'd already figured it out.

"The kind that involves a baby," I said, trying my best to keep a straight face.

Jordan had been right. Becca's squealing almost punctured my eardrums, and she'd never hugged me tighter in her life.

"Ow, Becks. My ears," I laughed as I hugged her.

"Sorry," she said when she could form words. "Oh, my God, Aria. Congratulations."

"Ditto," Kendra said as she hugged me. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"I just hope my parents are this happy when we tell them next weekend," I chuckled.

"I'm sure they will be," Jordan said. "You kept your promise to them. You finished school. Hell, you're the class valedictorian. And you've already got a successful photography business, so they don't have to worry about what you and Ezra are going to do for money. Between his teaching salary and the studio, you'll do just fine."

"Actually, he got offered a position as the dean of academics at Jenkins yesterday too," I told them. "We talked about it for a good long while last night, and he's decided to accept it. So he'll even be getting a pay raise before the baby is born."

"See? You'll be in a fine position financially then," Kendra said. "And rest assured, Jordan, Alexis, and I will give you as long as you want for maternity leave."

I chuckled. "Thanks. I'm more worried about the 'you're too young to be a mother' lectures."

"Aria, you've been married for almost three years," Becca said. "And you've been through so much in your life that made you grow up faster than you should have had to. So I'd say you're a lot more mature than the average twenty-two year old. I'm sure your parents know that."

"I sure hope so," I sighed. "Okay, we need to get going or we're going to be late. You ready, Kendra?"

"Yeah, let's go," she said, giving Becca a kiss. "I'll see you tonight, hon."

"I won't wait up," Becca told her, yawning. "Have fun."

After the graduation ceremony the next weekend (for some bizarre reason, it was on a Saturday), my parents, Mike, Wesley, the Whites, and the Brooks family (including Bailey, who had just finished up her finals) were all over at our house. We'd debated going out for dinner, but since we had a feeling that every restaurant in Savannah would be packed, we had decided to just cook instead. Ezra, who had been keeping our guests company in the living room while I finished dinner, came into the kitchen.

"Hey," I said, turning to look at him as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "You know this isn't helping dinner get on the table any faster, right?"

He gave me a kiss. "I actually came to see if you need help. I feel bad that you're in here when you're the one we're celebrating today."

"Um, if you want to start bringing the stuff in dishes out to the table, you can," I told him. "The lasagna should be out of the oven soon. And you know I love cooking. You don't have to feel bad."

"I can do that. So, are we doing this tonight?" he asked me as he grabbed the salad bowl.

I chuckled. "We might as well while we have everyone in one place. I'm just praying I don't get the 'you're too young' lecture from my parents. Or that they won't be horrified having to face the fact that their daughter has a sex life."

Ezra laughed and kissed me again. "I'm banking on them remembering that we've already been married for almost three years to save us from both of those possibilities."

I giggled.

"What's all this laughing in here?" Wesley asked as he walked into the kitchen. "Or do I want to know?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," I said.

I'd actually gotten to be on pretty great terms with my brother-in-law over the past couple of years. And this was the kind of relationship we had now. We were always giving each other a hard time, but it was all in good fun.

"If it wasn't for the gutter, Wes's mind would be homeless," Ezra chuckled.

"Come on, man. I don't _live_ in the gutter. But I do vacation there often," he shot back. "Seriously, though, can I help with anything?"

"Sure. You can help your brother carry stuff out to the table," I told him. "I'm just waiting for this timer to go off."

"Didn't you know a watched timer never beeps?" Wesley teased.

Right as he said that, the timer went off. I checked the lasagna and then grabbed it out of the oven.

"Or maybe it does," Ezra said. "Let's take this stuff out first and let that cool off for a minute."

After we ate dinner and were all just sitting around the living room in a slight food coma, Ezra looked at me. I nodded. It was time.

"So, Aria and I actually have something to tell all of you. It's not common knowledge yet, but you're our family and closest friends, and we wanted to tell all of you while you're here with us tonight," he started, then turned to look at me again. "Babe, do you want to do the honors?"

I smiled. God, I loved him. More than anything. Except maybe our child (yes, already).

"Sure," I said, then turned to look at everyone. "Um, I'm not really sure how to say this without just coming out and saying it. So, here goes. I'm pregnant. We're having a baby."

Dead silence. Clearly no one was expecting that. I rested my head on Ezra's shoulder, and he kissed my hair. We just waited for someone to say something.

"Oh, my God," Alexis said after a second, handing the baby off to Bailey so she could stand up and hug us. "That's amazing, guys. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," I laughed as I hugged her.

Apparently everyone else was waiting for someone to be the first to say something, because all of a sudden, Ezra and I were overwhelmed with hugs from our family and friends. Even my dad was happy and smiling.

"Well, you kept your promise," my dad chuckled when it was his turn to hug me. "No kids until after you graduated."

I laughed. "The irony was not lost on me when I found out. This definitely wasn't planned, I promise."

"Does the kid have to call me Grandpa? I still think I'm too young for that," he teased.

I laughed again. "I'll let you pick what they call you. Deal?"

"Deal," he chuckled again.

My mom was the next one in line for a hug.

"My little girl is all grown up," she laughed, sniffling. "I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "Stop crying, please. You're going to make me cry."

"Sorry," she chuckled. "I can't help it. But does the kid have to call me Grandma?"

I laughed. "Did you not just hear me telling Dad this? You guys can pick what they call you."

"Aunt Ella?" she teased.

"Okay, maybe not that," I chuckled.

"Somehow I think this kid is going to have enough aunts and uncles," Mike said as he gave me a hug. "I see her and Ezra as being the types to have the kid call all their close friends 'aunt' and 'uncle.'"

"Probably," I agreed.

"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about, Aunt Aria," Bailey teased as she walked up to us holding her niece and gave me a one-armed hug.

I laughed as I took my honorary niece from her. Alexis and Jacob had dubbed all of us in our tight-knit group as honorary aunts and uncles to Aria.

"Thanks, Aunt Bailey," I teased. "How do you feel about having an honorary niece or nephew in addition to little Aria here?"

"I'm so excited for you guys," she said.

"Wait. The baby's name is Aria?" Wesley asked us as he walked over from where he was talking to his brother. "Congrats, sis."

"Thanks, Wes," I said, adjusting the baby so I could hold her with one arm and giving my brother-in-law a hug. "And, yes, this is Aria. My little mini-me. Why Alexis and Jacob decided to name her after me, I have no idea. I was floored when they asked me if I was okay with it."

"You know they were going to name her Ezra if she was a boy, right?" Bailey asked.

"Really?" I said. "I didn't know that."

"You guys changed their lives. You got my sister justice for what happened to her. Both things that happened to her. If it wasn't for you and Ezra, Mr. Thomas and our dad would still be walking around as free men. That's not something they take lightly," she told me.

"I kind of wish I hadn't been put in the position to change their lives, though," I chuckled.

"I know," Bailey said. "But you made it through. And I'm sure some parts of it stay with you, but I can tell you've moved on. You and Ezra are doing amazing. It's obvious the past isn't dragging you down."

"If anything, everything that happened taught me that it's important to appreciate every moment," Ezra said as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my head. "Not to take anything for granted."

I smiled. "Exactly."

Eight and a half months later, on February 3rd, our lives changed forever when we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. She had my eyes, but Ezra's bone structure, and had both of us (and all of our family and friends) wrapped around her little finger as soon as we laid eyes on her.

Ezra and I had thought long and hard about what to name our daughter. We originally wanted to name her after two of the incredible friends who had seen us through so much over the years, but we couldn't settle on which two. So instead we decided to name her after the first author he'd taught at Rosewood High (as a nod to our early days as a couple), and my mom, who had become more of a mother to Ezra than his own mother had ever been. Harper Ella Fitz.

 **(Author's note: Thank you guys so much for all your positive feedback on this story. I'm humbled and floored that this little product of an overactive imagination has struck a chord with so many people. Some of you who have been reading my work for a while might remember a story of mine called** _ **A New ChApter of Life**_ **, where I wrote Ezra and Aria's wedding and what happened afterwards, having it follow more of what actually happened in the show** **[that story has actually now been published by Amazon on Kindle Worlds, which is why I had to take it down from here]. If you do, you'll notice that Aria and Ezra's daughter's name is the same in this story as in that one. I like to think of this story as an alternate universe where Aria and Ezra stayed together like they should have. But no matter what universe we're in, whether the one from the show where they broke up and then got back together five years later or in this one where they stayed together the entire time, the end result is the same. Anyway, stay tuned. I have another idea for a story, an alternate interpretation of some of the events in the show, and I'm trying to figure out how to bring that idea to fruition. And I'm still working on a couple of chapters for another story in progress that I have on here. Also, I have to give a shout-out to my amazing friend Sarah, who proofread every single chapter of this story before I posted it and helped me when I got stuck with writer's block in some parts. She's been incredibly supportive and this story wouldn't have happened without her.)**


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